Bewitched
by Frolicking Bananas
Summary: [AU] Susannah Simon lives in a time where people are convicted for so much as looking at another person strangely. What will she do when someone very close to her is convicted of witchcraft? Or, strangely enough, herself? [JS]
1. Prologue

**_Bewitched_**

**Prologue**

Have you ever been accused of something that you didn't do?

If so, I'm sure it wasn't that major, since you probably wouldn't be sitting here reading this.

I was though. And so was my mother. We were accused of being things that were certainly were not by any means. God, we didn't even _practice_ it.

But some people believed we did and that's all that mattered.

When I was sixteen, my mother and I set sail to the New World. We came over on ships to start a "new life". When we lived in England, we were persecuted because we were Puritans. I still don't see why to this day. We also came over because my mother's new husband and his three sons came over there a few months earlier.

We settled in this little village called Salem. Salem, Massachusetts.

My step-father built our house with his bare hands (and a little help from a few of his friends). We lived peacefully in our house, befriending our neighbors, and going to mass every morning. I even, unlike so many girls my age, helped my step-father on the plantation.

Many girls I knew swooned over my brothers. I really don't see why. Jake looks like he doesn't ever get any sleep. Brad is a . . . tramp. I see the girls he . . . does stuff with. They come to his room during the middle of the night - and I am just so privileged to have my room close to his - and I hear things that I would rather not hear. And David . . . well, he's okay.

We even had a slave from Barbados - well, they were called "indentured servants" but whatever - named Hantibu. She was nice and helped me a lot with my . . . problems. She was the only one I could trust to keep a secret. Her and my three best friends - Gina, CeeCee, and Adam - but I haven't told my best friends.

What haven't I told them?

Well . . . the thing is . . .

To put it bluntly . . . I see dead people.

I see the spirits of the deceased, ghosts of those who have died.

And let me tell you, it's not all that great either.

I have to constantly lie to my mother and sneak out at night. Whenever I have a bruise that can be seen with all of my clothing on, I lie to my mom and say I got it working on the plantation or that I fell the other day. I hate doing that to her, but if I told her . . . I knew she wouldn't believe me.

My mother . . . well, she's very set in her ways. She believes what she wants to believe and not what she _needs_ to believe.

And that's the one thing that I hate about her.

But about this job of mine. I'm a mediator - a liaison between the living and the dead. I'm supposed to help them move on, even if that means giving them a "gentle" push to where they are supposed to go.

This supposed "gift" of mine - as Father Dominic, my priest and fellow mediator, calls it - was the cause of all of my problems. It even caused the biggest dilemma of my life - a life or death problem.

But it also helped me out of that problem. In more ways than one.

And it gave me one of the greatest things in my life.


	2. The Bitchy Ghost

**_Bewitched_ **

**Chapter 1**

I bolted upright in my bed and looked around rapidly. My eyes settled on a person in the corner of the room. They had a bluish aura surrounding their entire body. And I knew, right away, that this was no ordinary person.

It was a ghost.

I looked out of my window. It was still dark outside. It is not even dawn yet and I am being awakened by another ghost. Does this job ever have perks?

No. Of course not.

I closed my eyes for a second and sighed. Then I opened them again and they fell on the spirit in the corner of my room.

"Can I help you?" I asked impatiently. Judging by moon, I had only a few more hours of sleep. I had to be up at dawn to help my step-father on the plantation.

They just stared at me and blinked.

Okay, now I was frustrated.

"Can I help you?" I asked again, even more impatiently.

Finally they said something. "You . . . you can see me?"

That was among the most common questions that these ghosts ask me. That and 'are you the mediator?'.

"Yes," I replied, calming down a little. "Can we make this quick, please? I have to be up at dawn, if you don't mind."

"Of c-course," they replied meekly.

I sighed again and straightened myself in my bed. "What is your name?"

They were silent for a few moments, then replied softly, "Mary. M-my name is Mary."

I nodded. "Okay, Mary," I said. I got up and crossed the room. She was standing by my window, so I went over there and shut the window. Standing only mere inches from her now, I said, "Mary, can you tell me how you died?"

This is always the hardest part for the deceased. Telling me how they died. Oftentimes I find that they have died in rather harsh ways, such as being brutally murdered or just plain murdered. Some just die naturally or their death is their fault. Those people usually stay back because they want something passed on to their family, friends, etc. But the people that were murdered, well, they don't move on because their death was to horrible, that they just _can't_ move on. So a lot of times I have to solve a murder.

I hate doing that.

Mary hesitated again. By the way the moon was hitting her, I could tell she was young. Only about eighteen or nineteen. Pity that she had to die that young. "Um . . . I came with my husband to Salem about a year ago . . . and my husband, John, and his friends went hunting and I guess they got into a conflict with some Indians, since two of his friends were killed. About a week later my husband and I were sleeping and two Indians came in and - and . . . killed us." She hung her head and I could see now that she was crying.

"I'm so sorry," I said, like I do to every ghost that comes to me.

Hey, it gets old, okay?

Her head snapped up. "No you're not. You have no clue what it's like!"

"Mary, so many people that have died have come to me. I know, okay? I may not know what it is like to die, but I know how you are feeling," I replied.

She lowered her gaze to the ground and mumbled something.

"Pardon me?" I asked.

"I was pregnant," she said, a little louder. "I was pregnant with my first child and I was _murdered_. My child didn't even get a chance to _live_! You don't know what that's like, do you?"

"Mary, please, don't fight with me. No, I have no idea what that is like, but I can help you get through it. I can help you forgive and forget and move on to a better place than what you are stuck in right now."

She calmed down a little but was still tensed, I could tell. "I just wanted my child to live . . ."

I nodded and put on my most sympathetic face. "I understand that, Mary. But this has already happened and there is nothing you can do to change it. I'm sorry . . ." I took and deep breath, closing my eyes for a second and then reopening them. "Mary, there is something holding you back. My job is to help you figure that out and then you can move on to a better place or to your next life."

"I don't want a new life! I want my old life back!" she screeched.

I took a seat on my bed. That was the mistake I made. "Mary, every ghost that has come to me has said that. But I simply cannot do that. It's impossible, okay?"

She flew over to where I was. She put her fingers around her neck and was trying to choke me. Thankfully I got a ghost who was new to this and wasn't all that strong. "If I can't live than you can't either," she muttered angrily.

"Mary, please," I managed to get out. Sure, she wasn't that good at choking, but I still couldn't really get words out. "I'm trying to h-help you."

"Help me?" Then her grasp hardened. Okay, now she was really choking me. "If you want to help me, you can give me my life back!"

Okay, no more useless-ness.

I took my left foot and slid it behind her right leg, pulling it our from under her. Instead of letting go of my neck, she pulled me down with her as she fell. But luckily I was able to pry her fingers from my neck as we both fell to the ground.

"You are going to regret that," I said to her, angry now. "Get out, or so help me, I will make you disappear with the snap of my fingers!"

She wavered a little bit, but then took a chance. "Make me."

Okay, so I couldn't really do that. Exorcize ghosts, yes, but make them vanish instantly?

Um, that'd be a no.

I so wish I could do that though. It would get rid of the pesky ones easier.

Then again...

No, that would kind of be bad. People die for a reason. When they die, they belong that way.

That's just what I believe though.

Right then my youngest step-brother walked in. "Suze," he said sleepily looking around my bedroom. "What are you . . . ? What's all the noise?"

Um, okay. Make up a lie and then he'll go away.

"Uh . . . I left my window open last night and a bat flew in a little while ago and . . . I finally just got it out. It wouldn't leave." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at him, knowing full well that the ghost behind me was about to pounce on me any second now.

He shrugged. "Okay," he said, and walked out the door, shutting it softly behind him.

I turned back to give that bitchy ghost a piece of my mind, but she had dematerialized.

So I went back to my bed to go to sleep, but then remembered that she might pop in at any moment and try and murder me in my sleep.

Maybe I should just get up and get ready for working with Andy.

Yeah . . . that sounds good.

- § -

"Good morning, Susannah," Goody Herbert said as I walked by to go to the market.

I nodded and replied, "Good morning, Good Herbert. How are you on this fine morning?"

She grinned. "Very well, Susannah, very well. And yourself?" she asked politely. Mrs. Herbert was our neighbor. Well, as close as your neighbors can be in Salem, but still. She was a very nice lady. She made us delicious pies for every holiday and our - my family and I - birthdays. She seems just like a grandmother to me.

I gave her a nice smile back. "I'm as well as I can be, ma'am," I replied, referring back to my early encounter.

Her grin faltered a little. "Oh?"

"Yes. I was struck a little ill this morning, Goody. But I'm feeling a good much better now."

She smiled warmly. "How about I make you one of my apple pies, just for yourself. Would that make you feel any better, dear?"

I laughed a little. "You know it would, ma'am, but I don't want you to have to go through the trouble."

She shook her head. "Oh, no, it would be no trouble at all, dear. I'd be happy to. You know what? Come and pick it up on your way back from the market. It should be ready then, dear."

I looked at her, confused. "Ma'am? I only take an hour or so at the market. Surely it wouldn't be ready then . . ."

She chuckled, despite her age. "Dear, I already have one being baked right now. I'll make one for myself later. After all, you and that dear mother of yours deserve it more than me."

"Now, Goody Herbert, that isn't true."

"Yes, it is," she assured me. And as I was about to object again, she said, "Now run along, honey. Wouldn't want to keep that pie waiting, would you?"

See, that is why I love that woman and consider her my own dear grandmother.

If it came down to it, I would trust that woman with my life.

And, seeing the immensity of the events to come, I would have to.


	3. The Imbecile

**_Bewitched_**

**Chapter 2**

I arrived at the marketplace and picked up a few goods for my mother to bake with and some . . . nonessential toiletries. My mother would chastise me for getting them, but I just could not resist.

It was as I was paying for the items that I had chosen that I saw him. A ghost.

God, do they never go away? I all ready had to deal with a stubborn one this morning.

But this one . . . he seemed different. There were no evil vibes around him that I sensed, like I normally sense around other ghosts. He just seemed like he was observing everyone in our quaint little town. It was kind of . . . unnerving actually.

My mistake, though, was looking at him too long.

His eyes locked with mine and I quickly looked away. I think he knew though. I think he realized that I could see him. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that he was still looking at me, kind of in a daze, I guess.

I shook it off and paid for my items and started the walk back home.

_I should help that ghost,_ I thought.

But I knew that something big would come from talking to him, getting to know him. I did not know whether it was good or bad, but I knew it would be big.

It turns out that I did not even have to go to him. He came to me.

He followed me as I walked home. It was quite annoying actually.

When I saw that there was no one around, I sharply spun around. "What," I hissed, "do you want?"

His dark eyes grew wide as he stuttered out, "_Nombre de Dios_! You can - you can s-see me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I can see you. Now what is your problem? Why are you following me?"

"How though?" he asked, ignoring my questions. "How is it that you can see me when no other person can?"

I shrugged. "Do not ask me that. I have not a clue." I sighed. "I am what is called a mediator. I can converse with the dead, as you can see."

I looked around. Some people were actually looking strangely at me, now that they were coming home from the market.

I grabbed hold of his shirt and hissed quietly, "Follow me and do not talk."

As I had promised, I went back to Goody Herbert's home to pick up the apple pie. It was nice and warm as she handed it to me, wrapped in a cloth, and it smelled so delicious. I wanted to eat the whole thing right then all by myself. However, I knew I should save some for my mother too. She loves Mrs. Herbert's pies just as much as I do.

I thanked her and walked the mile back to my home, the ghost still following me. It was rather unnerving, having him trailing behind me like that, but, alas, it was my duty.

I handed the pie and the market items to my mother, explaining to her what happened with Goody Herbert. She smiled and told me that her and Andy would start supper soon.

I nodded and went up to my room, the ghost still following me. I shut my door and locked it once we were both safely inside.

"Okay," I said, turning to him. "First of all, what is your name?"

"Hect - Jesse. My name is Jesse," he said. I didn't question on what he was going to say at first.

"Okay, Jesse, what do you think is holding you back?" I asked, repeating the phrase that I normally do with ghosts.

His brows knitted in perplexity. "Holding me back?"

I nodded. "Yes. Why do you think that you are on Earth rather than in, say, Heaven?"

He looked down at his feet for a moment, then brought his gaze back to me. "I - I do not know. I haven't really thought about it."

I sighed and ran my hand along my face. I looked back at him and said, "All right. Then how did you die?"

Yeah, it was blunt, but can you blame me? This job gets rather annoying at times.

He looked away from me and looked out my window. The sun would start setting soon. "I - I do not wish to speak of it, _Señorita_."

I knew what that word meant, _Señorita_. I have heard it spoken among the Spanish men in the community. There weren't many Spanish men, just the ones that were left behind from the Spanish voyages. But the word meant 'miss'. It was a polite word.

"Suze," I said.

He turned back to me in confusion. "_¿Pardón?_"

"My name is Suze." I was tired of standing and talking, so I went over to my bed and sat down on the edge of it. Jesse was now sitting on the window seat.

"Oh," he said. "Is that short for . . . Susan?"

"Susannah," I corrected.

(A/N: I don't think that 'Oh, Susannah, don't you cry for me' song was created yet in this time period, so I'm not going to include it. Capishe?)

He nodded. "It's a beautiful name."

I snorted. Was he trying to flatter me? Well, it wasn't working. But I must say, he _was_ rather . . . handsome.

No. He is a ghost, Suze. You cannot go for their type. It is not . . . normal.

But, really. Have I ever been remotely normal? For once in my life, have I ever been considered anything _but_ a freak?

That would probably be a 'no'. To both questions.

But enough of my internal battling, I need to help this ghost move on. We all know how fun that can be.

Not.

"Um, thanks," I said. Then I tried changing the subject. "So, why don't you want to talk about how you died? Usually the reason that someone hasn't moved on lies within the death. And, well, I can't figure that out until you tell me how you died."

He sighed heavily. "I apologize, Susannah. I would rather not talk about it."

I stood up and strode closer to him. "Listen, buddy, it would just be easier for both of us if you just told me. Then we both can get on with our lives." He smirked when I said that. "Or afterlives," I corrected.

"I—"

But he never really got to finish, let alone start, his sentence. My uncharacteristically moronic step-brother barged in at that moment, hollering, "Suze, supper is ready—who are you talking to?"

I knitted my eyebrows. "Talking to? Nobody. And is it really necessary to yell? I _am_ right here, you know."

He rolled his eyes and slammed my door behind him and pounded down the steps.

"Imbecile," I muttered under my breath, turning back to a certain handsome ghost.

But if I wanted to see him, I was sadly disappointed. He had dematerialized while I was talking to my moron of a step-brother, Bradley - or Brad, as he insists we call him, but I call him Bradley, just to spite him; he in turn calls me Susie to spite me. It goes both ways, I guess.

I sighed and went down to the dining area to eat supper.

- § -

"Ah, Susannah, I was starting to wonder when you would come down here again."

I smiled at the wise old man and continued to walk towards him. "I am sorry, Father Dominic. It's hard to find alone time these days."

He chuckled and gestured to the pew in front of him for me to sit. "So, what is it this time, Susannah?"

I sat down in the wood pew and started to talk. "It's . . . this new ghost. He followed me home from the market and he's . . . different. He's not like the normal ghosts. Not to mention, he won't even tell me how he died."

He nodded. "What was his name, Susannah?"

"He told me to call him Jesse. He was Spanish and young-looking, but, obviously, that doesn't really matter." Oh, I forgot to mention that, I guess.

When a ghost dies, they take on the form they were most comfortable as when they were alive. So, this Jesse could really have been eighty years old when he died. He could have died in his sleep or something. But, honestly, if he did not want to tell me that much, I think it was a little more traumatic. Not to mention, I haven't really assisted all that many ghosts that have passed on while they were sleeping. That translates to: I haven't helped any ghosts that died while they were sleeping.

"Hmm," the Good Father said. "Well, if he shows up again, Susannah, send him to me. I will see if he'll tell me anything."

I nodded. "All right. And I have another one, Father. This woman called Mary. She said she was killed by a few Indians, as was her husband. She was pregnant at the time and she is obviously not a rested soul. She . . . went after me. Luckily, though, I had an interruption in the formof my youngest step-brother."

His face fell. "This ghost was . . . violent with you?"

"Yes, Father Dom. I told her I was sorry that she was killed and she got angry and, well, she tried to hurt me."

His face turned grim. "You did not act violent in return, did you?"

"Uh - well, I—"

"Susannah, we have gone over this many times. You are not to be violent with these spirits. They have all ready gone through a hard time and they don't need you adding to that—"

"But what if its in self defense, Father. I was only protecting myself!"

He silenced me. "I realize that, Susannah, but you mustn't make them angry in the first place."

Oh, I really didn't need this right then. To tell you the truth, I honestly didn't care about Mary. I was thinking about Jesse. He was so nice, kind. And not to mention handsome. He was gorgeous. I had never seen a ghost so . . . perfect before.

No. I - this can't be happening.

"Susannah!"

That snapped me out of my reverie.

"You promise me to think before you act?"

"Uh - yeah. Yes, of course, Father."

He smiled. "Good. Now run along, child. I'm sure your mother would like you home."

I nodded and went back home.


	4. The First Accusation

**_Bewitched_**

**Chapter 3**

I didn't see Jesse for two whole days after that. Yes, I was counting. I really shouldn't have been, considering he was a ghost. Oh, yeah, and the fact that no one else could see him. So, it's like, even if he did reciprocate my, somewhat clouded, feelings for him, it's not like we could ever get married or anything or even have a healthy relationship of some kind.

As I was saying though, I had not seen Jesse for two days.

But it was actually a good thing that he showed up when he did. If he did not, well, let's say I wouldn't be lying in my bed right now. I'd probably be being speculated and prodded by the doctor from the next town over. If that, or I could be dead.

Not such a good thing to be thinking about though. My mother always told me to think optimistic thoughts, even after my father died.

Speaking of my father, he usually visits me around this time. When I lived in England, he visited me every week or so. I haven't seen him since . . . a month ago?

Okay, maybe you are confused. My father, the one that died when I was six, he did not move on. He remained on this earth as a ghost, to look after me he says.

But that's the thing, if he says he's staying here to look after me, then why hasn't he been around lately?

Did he . . .?

No, he couldn't have. He would have let me know if he was going to move on. He wouldn't do that to me.

Okay, that's enough of that.

Anyway, I hadn't seen Jesse for two days. He came at a good time though.

Mary - the ghost that was killed by Indians, as was her husband - came back. She decided to bring one of her little ghost buddies too. And I was guessing that it was her husband because they seemed pretty friendly.

She tried to sweet talk with me again. She tried to get me to bring her and her husband back to life - the way everything was before they were killed - but when I told her I could, in fact, not do that, she went ballistic.

She went after me and tried to rip my hair out. She punched me in the stomach, saying, "_This_ is so can't ever have children. If I couldn't then neither can you." She couldn't really hit all that hard, but when she got her husband to do it, it hurt. I think he broke one of my ribs.

That was when Jesse showed up. To say he looked shocked would be an understatement. He looked absolutely devastated.

Then he got angry. The whole room shook from his apparent anger.

The two other ghosts turned and looked at him. They were apparently just as shocked as I was.

"You," he said to the husband, whose name I never learned, "should never hit a lady." And then he used his ghost powers and threw him against the wall. Mary looked so astonished that she didn't even move from her spot. Then when she came to her senses, her and her husband dematerialized.

Jesse looked at me down on the floor and scowled. I gave him a sheepish smile and said, "Thanks."

He then smiled. "I'm just glad I came in time." He stuck his hand out to help me stand up. My ribs really were throbbing by then. So it really wasn't a shock that I could not really stand up all that well.

I fell back down when he pulled me to a standing position. "_Dios_," he muttered. "What did they do to you?"

I laughed bitterly. "Oh, just kicked me in the stomach a few times. That's all."

But apparently he didn't notice my sarcasm, because he said angrily, "That's all? You could have been seriously injured, _querida_."

Querida? I knew it was Spanish, but what did it mean? I had never heard any of the Spanish men say that. Was it good? Or bad?

However, my stomach and ribs were in so much pain that the question of that word completely slipped my mind.

I nodded. "I know."

He helped me up again and helped me onto my bed to lay down. I felt my side and winced. Yeah, I'm pretty sure at least one of my ribs was broken. I didn't know how I'd explain that to my mother.

Ha, I can see it now. 'Oh, that? Um, I just fell off the roof, that's all, Mother.'

Somehow, I don't think that would go over too well.

I lay in bed for a while, at least until I _had_ to get up. When I did, well, I don't know what I would do. Probably have someone carry me down the stairs, but then I would have to explain why they had to carry me down the stairs.

Ugh. Life is so confusing.

I was complaining to Jesse about that. Not that I was hurting - I would never show signs of weakness, even if I was _really_ hurting, like I was then - but that it would be difficult to explain my situation.

He listened, like any other normal person. But that is the thing. He _isn't_ normal. He's not _alive_ like normal people are.

But to me he seemed like one. It was as easy talking to him like it was talking to my best friends - CeeCee, Adam, and Gina. Of course, I have not seem them in quite a while, since Adam and CeeCee went off on an expedition with CeeCee's parents. And Gina, well, she went to go visit her father that was in the next town over - he had an operation done and it had to be done there.

So, as you can see, I was pretty lonely. Aside from the various spirits that graced my presence. I was lonely, as in I had no one to talk to, be there for me, and support me. There was my mother, but . . . she was not all that easy to talk to when it came to certain things. Those things I would rather not discuss here. Things that you can only discuss with best friends.

And, well, I found myself discussing them with Jesse. Like I said, it was just so _simple_ to talk to him. He seemed like he was a very understanding and open-minded person, who wouldn't judge right away. Oh, and you can't forget the fact that he was very handsome.

(A/N: Can someone give me a word like 'handsome' that girls would use to describe men in the 17th century? Please?)

To describe him in one word, he was . . . perfect.

Only if you just ignore the fact that I was the only person who could see him - other than Father Dominic. And, to be honest, I'm not so sure Father Dom would like me - erm, _fancying_ a ghost. He would not like that at all.

He was like an imaginary friend (with benefits, possibly), only he was, in fact, real. Just not to everyone. Sure, he had no matter to non-mediators, but, to me, he had plenty of matter.

"Susie," my mother called up the stairs. She was all ready downstairs making breakfast probably. Or helping Andy with it at least, since he was the one that mainly cooked in our household - not normal, but then again, my family has never been normal either.

I looked at Jesse. "What should I do?" I asked him hurriedly.

He looked at me and gave me a little smile. "Tell her you're ill," he said simply. It was a simple answer, but it got me out of a whole day's worth of chaos (i.e. chores and family matters).

Surprisingly, Jesse stayed with me the whole day. It's not that I thought he had anything better to do or anything - him being a ghost and all - but I just didn't think I was all that exciting to be around is all.

And ironically, that was the day when the first accusations started. The accusations of witchcraft.

- § -

"Mother?" I came down the stairs as best I could that day, Jesse trailing after me just in case I fell.

She appeared from behind the corner. "Oh, Susie," she whispered. "It's horrible, honey. They - they have accused Mrs. Grace of witchcraft! You know her, she has never done such a thing!"

I nodded. "I know, Mother. But . . . is there anything we can do?"

She shook her head solemnly. "Her trial is tomorrow. The only evidence they have against her is a few unruly girls saying that she poisoned their supper. How preposterous is that?"

"Unruly girls? Which girls?" I asked, interested.

She looked at me curiously. "Oh, you might know them, Susannah. A Miss Kelly Prescott and a Miss Deborah Mancuso and a few other girls that I cannot remember the names of at the moment. Those wretched little creatures accusing a poor elderly woman who only wanted the best for them." My mother was seething.

"Mother, I do know them and I can honestly say that I never was fond of them when we attended church."

My mother nodded. "I am proud of you, Suze. Not getting involved with those mischievous type."

(A/N: Okay, so Kelly and Debbie aren't smart enough to be like Abigail, but come on.)

"Mother, I really am not feeling too well. Would it be all right if I went back upstairs and lay down longer?" I asked. My side was really aching, just after standing for a few minutes.

She nodded. "Of course, sweetheart. However, I need you to go to the trial tomorrow, Susannah."

I nodded. "I understand." And I went back upstairs to lay down. I was actually being truthful that time. As soon as I hit my bed, I fell right asleep.

And I actually think Jesse stayed there while I slept. Maybe even watched me as I slept.

A little unnerving, but somehow comforting.


	5. The Trial

_Bewitched_

Chapter 4

I woke up the next morning to find that Jesse was gone. I was a little disappointed.

But, no, I shouldn't grow attached to a ghost. He's _dead_, Suze!

I sighed heavily and rolled myself out of bed. I instantly regretted it. My ribs started throbbing the moment I moved. They were worse than yesterday. And I had to go to the trial today.

This was going to be horrible.

I hobbled down the stairs as best I could without falling, then outside to the back of the house where the...you know was. When I was finished, I climbed back up the stairs and into the washroom to wash up.

I went back into my room, attempting to put my new gown on for the trial. However, I soon realized that I needed my mother to help me lace the corset up. Oh, how I despise those things.

I went into my mother's room, where her and Andy were just rising.

My mother rubbed her eyes. "Susie," she said with a yawn. "What are you doing up so early, darling?"

I walked closer to her, slightly limping. "I...had a bad dream, Mother, and I could not fall back asleep. So I decided that I should just get ready for the trial." And I gestured toward the dress. "I need help."

She suppressed a laugh, all the while shaking her head. "Susannah, you are nearly a woman. You cannot always come to me when you need to lace up your dress."

I small smile formed on my lips. "I know. But my stomach is still hurting, Mother, and its very difficult to do this by myself like that."

"I see," she said, beginning to lace the corset up.

I winced when she pulled it tight. "Can it be a little loose today, Mom?"

She nodded. "Yes, I suppose, if you are not feeling well." She finished lacing it up, then laced the dress up as well. "Now go along and finish getting ready. Then wake your brothers up."

I did as I was told.

But waking my three step-brothers up was no picnic, I am telling you. David was all ready up; he's usually the first one up anyway. Jake was okay, I had to yell his name a few times, but he woke up. Brad, though, he was bad.

"Brad!" I yelled, knocking on his door. "Wake up! Mom wants you to get ready!"

He yelled at me to go away, which just got me mad. So I barged in his room, but let me tell you, I regretted doing that.

He was naked there with a girl in his bed. A girl who happened to be Debbie Mancuso.

I shuddered and quickly closed his door. That was something I hoped I would _never _see again.

I was scarred for life.

-** § -**

"W-we were at h-her h-h-home for d-dinner that n-night." Kelly stopped to wipe her eyes. "A-and we j-just thought it would b-be a n-normal supper, b-but she p-p-poisoned our f-food!"

I rolled my eyes. Imbecile.

I mean, if anyone could believe something as fake as that, they had to be thick.

The judge, however, seemed to believe her. "And why do you think she wanted to poison you, Miss Prescott?" he asked her softly.

She looked up at him with her big, baby blues and said, arrogance clearly lacing her tone, "W-well, I th-think it might b-be because I w-was always p-prettier than her d-daughter."

My head snapped back to the trial going on.

What?

There was nothing I could say, however, that would make this stop. If anything, it would put _me_ in a bad position. Everyone — and I mean everyone — fell for her charm. She was a very pretty young woman and everyone knew that. They always believed the pretty, innocent-looking ones.

"Miss Prescott, I do not think that is a justifiable excuse for why she would poison you young ladies. Goody Grace, as I have been informed, was always there for you girls, no matter what. She thought of you as her own children. Why would she do that?"

"I told you!" Kelly cried.

The judge looked over his spectacles. "You think the reason she poisoned your food was because she was jealous that her daughter was not as...good-looking as you?"

I turned to look at Mrs. Grace's daughter, who was sitting there with tears rolling down her face. She wasn't bad looking. Not as beautiful as Kelly, but she wasn't ugly.

"Yes!" Kelly cried, literally.

The judge banged his mallet. "I think this has been enough for the day. You ladies can go ho—"

Just then the chandelier in the courthouse fell to the floor, right next to Kelly. She shrieked and jumped back.

I looked up and saw Mary. She had a malicious grin on her face. Then she dematerialized.

"See, she did it! She's the one doing this! She's using her powers to try and kill me!"

The judged whipped around to look at Mrs. Grace. She looked really frightened. Not guilty, scared.

"Did you do that?" the judge asked accusingly. "Did you use witchcraft to make the chandelier fall, Goody Grace?"

"N-no!" she stammered.

"Tell the truth!" he yelled.

Her eyes went wide. "I am!"

He turned back to his fellow judges, who were whispering to each other. A moment later, one lifted their head and said the one word that frightened me the most. "Guilty."

Not even telling the truth can save you anymore.

- § -

My mother made me leave. She said to go back home. She didn't want me to see Goody Grace being taken away.

Not that I really blame her. I did not want to see the face of the poor woman as she was being taken away against her will over something so...idiotic.

So I went back home. Slowly. Because my ribs were still throbbing heavily.

I decided to go upstairs and take a nap. Then I would go see Father Dominic when I woke up.

But before I could even shut me eyes, Jesse appeared. "Oh," he said, once he fully materialized. "I am sorry. I did not realize you were about to sleep. I'll go."

I smiled. "There's no need to leave." Normally, I would never say something like that to a ghost. I really never wanted them around. But Jesse...he was definitely different. He didn't annoy me like the other ghosts did. He was company. I was alone most of the time and he was there to keep me company, so I would not be alone. I needed that. I needed a _friend_. Even if he was dead.

"Are you sure?" he asked uneasily. "I just...I thought—"

"No, you can stay. I don't mind." I mentally slapped myself. I sounded way too eager. _He is dead, Susannah, there is no reason you should be eager for him to stay._

He smiled easily and sat down on my window seat. "How are you? Are your ribs feeling any better?"

I groaned. "Uh...not really. They actually feel worse."

He grimaced. "Then why were you—oh." I tried looking at his face for any clues to what he was feeling, but I could see nothing. His face was deadpan. "I saw the trial," he said in a monotone.

"You - you were there? I didn't - I didn't see you anywhere." Where was he? I know I saw Mary, and she was the one that sent Mrs. Grace away. Well, indirectly. But it was her fault that they even suspected her as guilty.

His face was still emotionless. "Yes, I...I didn't stay around for long. I couldn't bare to see that poor woman accused of something so...barbaric." He sighed and said, "I'm sorry. I did not mean to bring this up. I know it must have been horrible for you to watch it."

"It was horrible. She didn't do anything wrong." I sighed. "Were you there when Mary...dropped the chandelier?"

He nodded. "I knew once that happened that she would be convicted automatically. I tried to stop her, but I was too late..." He seemed to blame himself for this.

"Jesse, there was nothing that you could do," I said.

He just shook his head. "No, I..." he couldn't seem to find any more words. Like they had dried up and shriveled on his tongue.

"Don't blame yourself, Jesse. You had nothing to do with it. You tried the best you could, that's all that matters." I thought I sounded pretty convincing. Apparently he did not think so, though.

"Do you not see what could happen to her, Susannah? She is going to - to die!" he exclaimed.

I winced at his tone. "You don't think I know that? This is harder on me than it is on you, Jesse. I knew - _know_ - her. She's a great woman. Those insolent girls were the ones that are at fault, not me, and certainly not you." It seemed as if I was trying to assure myself too. I guess I was. I knew I felt the sam way he did - at fault.

He sighed heavily. "I apologize, Susannah. I should not be yelling at you. You do not deserve it. Not one bit."

A smile formed on my face. "It's fine. Let's just forget about what happened today. I really do not want to think about it anymore."

He smiled back. "Of course," was all he said. There was no need for him to say more.

There was a silence that fell over the room then. It was not uncomfortable, like some tend to be.

I decided to break it, however. "Jesse," I said. He sat up straighter and looked at me expectantly. "What was your family like?"

I admit, it was rather . . . random, but it just came to me.

He smiled. "My family..." he trailed off. "_Dios_, I have not thought about them in a while." He shook his head, as if shaking himself out of a memory. "Well, there was _mi madre_. She was a stunnigly beautiful woman. She was as kind as a kitten, but she had the passion of a lion." He paused. "My father was a very hard working man. He died when I was young, though. I had to help take care of my mother and sisters after that. I remember, before he passed on that day, he said to me, 'Hector, you are more than I could have hoped for in a son. Please, take care of your mother and sisters for me,' and that was when he died..." I noticed his eyes were glossy. He must have been on the verge of crying. Not that I blame him, though, that was really touching.

When he looked up at me, he smiled warmly. "What were your sisters like?" I asked softly.

His smiled broadened. "Rambunctious," he said. "I had five sisters: Josefina, Marta, Mercedes, Carolina, and Esperanza. Esperanza was the youngest out of them and the most adorable. She brought a smile to anyone's face. Josefina and Marta were the oldest ones, both a year apart. Marta was very outgoing and Josefina was the little quiet one; she claimed that everyone ignored her. I always thought Marta was destined for greatness." He took a deep breath. "Carolina and Mercedes were...handfuls. They were twins, but very different. They acted the same at home, but when it came to public, Carolina was as quiet as can be and Mercedes was as loud as can be." He paused for a moment. I thought he was finished, but then me whispered, "_Dios_, I miss them so."

I grinned. "It sounds like you really loved them. I wish I had a sister..."

He chuckled. "Yes, I did love them a lot, but you really don't want a sister. Although, I guess it would be different for a girl..." He laughed again. "I had to fight the men off with sticks for them. They were five very beautiful girls." Then he got this unexplainable glint in his eye. "Esperanza was only seven when I died, though. I was not there for her when she grew up..." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Susannah. You do not need to hear this from me."

I smiled easily. "That may be so. But I enjoy hearing it from you. I never had siblings growing up. Its nice to hear stories about them."

A smile grew upon his face. "Or maybe you're just trying to get rid of me."

My eyes widened. "No! No, of course not!"

He chuckled. "I was joking, _querida_."

And there was that word again. The word that thrilled my ears when it reached them. The word that made it sound like he cared for me so much. The word whose meaning I did not know.

- § -

The next day I went to visit Father Dominic. I know I said I would visit him when I woke up from my nap. But the thing is, I didn't wake up. I guess I was very tired.

Father Dominic looked very busy, talking to someone. So I decided to wait until that someone left. But they didn't.

Father Dominic finally noticed me. "Ah, Susannah, come hither." I did and noticed the boy - no, man - that was standing near him. He was very...good-looking.

"Susannah, I would like you to meet Paul Slater. Paul, this is Susannah Simon."

Paul flashed me a grin that made my knees go weak. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Susannah," he said, and took my hand in his and kissed it.

I ignored him calling me Susannah and said, shakily, "It's nice to meet you too."

I turned back to Father Dominic and said, "I need to talk to you, Father. It's very important."

He looked at me curiously, "Is it about—"

"Yes," I interjected. "It's about that."

A smile came to his face. "Well, then, you can say it in front of Mr. Slater here. He's one of us, Susannah."

My eyes widened considerably. "Excuse me?"

"Susannah, he is a Mediator, like us. He just moved here from Virginia."

"Wait. How do you know this, Father Dominic?" I asked suspiciously. I mean, this guy could just claim he sees ghosts, but he is really just trying to make us seem crazy. It has happened before.

"Uh, hello," Paul said. "I am right here. And, yes, I can interact with the spirits of the deceased. But I'm not a mediator. I'm a shifter."

Father Dominic and I both looked at him confusedly. "Shifter?" I echoed.

"Well," he said, arrogance slightly leaking into his voice, "yes. It's like a mediator, but far more powerful. And," he said, looking me up and down, "you are one too."


	6. A Certain Mr Slater

**_Bewitched_ **

Chapter 5

After getting over the shock of what Paul had told me, I shook my head and told Father Dominic what I came there to tell. "Father Dominic, I have something to tell you. About that ghost, Mary."

He nodded, confirming that he was listening.

"She was the one that dropped the chandelier," I said. "She was the reason that Mrs. Grace was sent away."

His eyes widened. "How do you know this, child?" he asked incredulously.

"I was there, Father. I saw her do it."

Paul just looked confused. "Who's Mary?" he asked, looking from me to Father Dominic.

We just ignored him. "Susannah," Father Dominic said, "this is very vital information. If we could just—"

"No," I said. "Not a chance. No one's going to believe us. No one. There's no proof and, honestly, I don't want to be next to Mrs. Grace in the hanging."

Father Dominic sighed. "Susannah, you must see. It's the only way to save her."

"See, that's where you're wrong, Father. I did do all I could to save her. I'm not putting my life in jeopardy. I know it sounds selfish, but I just can't do it."

He sighed again. "I see." He took his hat off and rubbed his forehead.

"We have to exorcize her," I said. "It's the only way to stop this."

Paul just looked at me and grinned. What that was for, I have no idea.

Father Dominic straightened up. "No! We cannot do that, Susannah. We have to do it the peaceful way."

Paul was looking on, bemused. Although, I did not see what was so amusing to him. He took a seat in one of the pews and just kept watching us.

I sighed. "All right." And I took a seat in one of the pews as well.

"Oh, Susannah," Father Dominic said. "I met that other ghost you were talking about. Jesse, his name was."

I perked up at that. I don't know why. I just did. Just the sound of his name brought light into my life. It was...weird, to say the least. "What did he say?"

He smiled. "He just said that he was not sure what was holding him back."

I rolled my eyes. "I could have told you that. He didn't tell you how he died?" I asked, hopeful.

He shook his head. "I asked, but he just avoided it. Although, I must say, he is a very well-mannered gentleman. It's a pity he is dead. We could use some more men like him in our world."

I smiled. It was true. I looked out the window. It was getting late. "Father Dominic, I really should go home now. My mother is probably wondering where I am."

He smiled. "Until next time, Susannah."

I turned to walk out of the chapel, when Paul's voice broke in the silence. "I'll walk you home." He came up behind me and put his arm around my shoulders.

And, while he was a very good-looking guy, I still felt a little uncomfortable with his arm around me. So, as politely as I could, I took his arm off of me. "You just moved here. I doubt you know your way around the village yet."

He smirked. "Well, you could show me."

I rolled my eyes and went to go walk out the door again. When Paul caught up with me, he looked confused. I did not question him. I kept on walking in the direction of my house.

"Susannah, let me walk you home," he said, his pace falling in step with mine.

"With all due respect, Paul, I can take care of myself. And the name is Suze," I said, correcting him. I cannot count how many times I have had to correct people with my name. It gets rather annoying.

He grinned. "Suze," he said, trying out my name. "Is that the tough, no-nonsense name or the leave-me-alone name?" he asked.

"Both," I said and continued walking.

I know I come off as cold to him. I mean, I did only just meet him. But there was something about him that made me not trust him. Sure, he was very attractive, but he did not seem like a very trust-worthy person.

And, I knew, as soon as he started appearing at town meetings, Kelly would be all over him. Not that I _cared_ or anything. But, well, she always gets all the really good-looking guys. The ones that all the girls fawn over all the time.

Paul laughed."You're not like the other girls I've met," he stated.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

He grinned. "No, its not. It's a very good thing."

And, for the first time that night, I found myself smiling at him. Maybe he was not all that bad...

Finally, we reached my house. "Bye," I said, walking up to the door.

"Wait," he said. He came up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Will I see you again?"

I smirked. "Well, you know where I live now. So, I guess that would be a yes."

He smiled. Then I noticed that his head was moving ever so closely toward mine. And, for a fleeting second, I thought he was going to kiss me.

Oh, my Lord. He _is_ going to kiss me!

Right when his lips were a centimeter away from mine, the door swung open and there stood Brad. To say he looked surprised would be a major understatement.

"Suze?" he asked in disbelief.

I pushed Paul away and smoothed down my dress. "Uh . . .yeah," I said. "I was just about to go inside."

Brad smirked. "Who is this?" he asked, gesturing to Paul.

I looked at Paul. "Um, someone I met at my meeting with Father Dominic. He's new here."

"Showing him around?" he asked, his smirk turning wry.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Just like you were showing Debbie around?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

When Brad remained speechless, I turned to Paul, "Goodnight," I said, and went inside.

That was interesting.

Then what Paul was about to do sunk in. Oh, dear, he was about to kiss me. My _first_ kiss.

I shook my head and went upstairs. I undressed and went to go to sleep, when Jesse materialized. "Susannah," he said, "who was that man that walked you home?"


	7. Perplexed?

**_Bewitched_ **

Chapter 6

"Uh," I stammered nervously. How did he know a man walked me home?

Wait a second... "Are you _spying_ on me?" I asked incredulously.

Jesse looked taken aback. "N-no," he said. He looked guilty though. "I just happened to see a man walking you home..."

He didn't need to finish. I know what else he saw. "He was just a man I met at the church. At my meeting with Father Dominic."

Jesse nodded. "I see. And you only met this man tonight?" he questioned/

"Well," I said, "yes." And I knew what was coming next.

"And you were going to let this man kiss you after only just meeting him?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow. He looked a little angry too. And...jealous?

No, no, that couldn't be.

I looked down, abashed. He was right. I had only just met him and I was going to let him kiss me. And, Lord knows, I probably would have kissed him back.

I chose to change the subject. "When were you going to tell me that you met Father Dominic?"

He blinked. "I thought I had told you."

I shook my head. "No, you did not." I crossed my arms over my chest. I was clearly angry at him — and ashamed of myself, but that is besides the point. I mean, he was _spying _on me. If that was not untrustworthy, I do not know what is.

He sighed. "I went because you said he wanted to speak with me. I hadn't realized it was a problem."

"No..." I said. "But you could have told me when you did."

"I'm sorry, Susannah. I did not realize it was essential that I tell you. Next time I will make sure to do so," he said with a slight smile on his face.

Was he _mocking_ me?

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Fine. I am going to sleep. I have to wake up early."

He nodded, that smirk still evident on his face, and dematerialized.

But, I swear, right as I was on the verge of sleep, I felt his presence again.

- § -

I woke up to the sound of my mother's voice. It shocked me, because it was a little early for me to be waking up that morning. I usually woke up later on the weekends, simply because they were supposed to be resting days. And because Andy and my step-brothers slept in also.

I groggily arose from my bed and wandered down the stairs. My ribs still hurt but they were getting better. Hopefully by next week they would be completely healed.

"Susie," she gushed.

Wait, gushed? What was she gushing over? The only time she ever did that was when there was a boy at the door for me...

No, it couldn't be.

"Mom, what—?"

"Susie, there is a nice man at the door for you. He says he met you last night with Father Dominic. Is this true? Have you met him before?"

Well, there was only one person I met at my meeting with Father Dominic last night and that was Paul. But he couldn't possibly have come here...

Then again, I really did not know him at all yet, so he probably could be that type of guy.

Who knows?

I nodded, confirming what she had said.

A huge grin broke out across her face. "Oh, Susie, he is so handsome!" she exclaimed. I'm sure Paul could have probably heard her. "Oh, go get washed up, honey. I'll go buy some time."

I nodded, still confused, and went to the washroom to get washed up. Then I went back upstairs and changed into one of my new dresses. The one I changed into was a light peach color with an off-white trim and it went down to my feet, like most of the dresses I had did.

I wandered down the stairs and saw Paul in the main room of my home, talking to my mother animatedly. When he saw me coming into the room, he smiled. I, awkwardly, smiled back.

For all I know, this guy could be some kind of killer; but Father Dominic seems to trust him, so...I guess I should too.

My mother stopped talking once she realized I was in the room. I wonder what she was telling him. I have no doubt that it was probably embarrassing.

Mothers.

She excused herself and went into the kitchen to get all the ingredients ready for dinner tonight. However, I knew she was most likely listening in on our conversation.

"Suze," Paul said with a smile on his face. "What a pleasure it is to see you again."

I smiled uneasily. I was not used to men being this...nice to me. It was like a foreign language; I didn't understand it. "Uh," I said, not very intelligently. "It's nice to see you too."

His smile widened. "I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me on this wonderful morning. Just to go for a nice walk around the village, maybe to the market."

I looked around. Was this a dream or something? I mean, no men ever asked me to accompany them anywhere. It's like I was invisible to them. So why was Paul an exception?

And Jesse?

So, to say I was confused would be an extreme understatement. And probably to say I was perplexed would be too.

After a slight hesitation, I replied, "Sure."

He grinned. "Great." He put his arm out for me to take it, and, hesitantly, I took it.

We walked out of the house and went off around the village.

- § -

Paul and I were in a secluded area in the village that — even living here for nearly a decade — I had never seen before. It seemed as though he had made it up himself.

But that isn't possible. Not in the least.

He was telling me about his journey to Andover from Virginia. That he had moved here to escape his money-hungry parents to live with his grandfather — who is also a shifter, as Paul says.

He also said he had a little brother, who could communicate with the dead as well, but he was only a mere mediator. What I didn't get, though, was how he knew who was what; how he could just look at you and know. It was mind-whirling, really.

When I asked where his brother was, he said he was back 'home' with his parents. He said he was afraid of ghosts, that he didn't understand what was going on.

"Well, then why didn't you explain to him what _was_ going on? I'm sure once it was explained to him, he wouldn't be as afraid anymore," I said.

He opened his mouth to say something but then quickly shut it. He chose to remain silent.

So I changed the subject. "When you said I was a shifter the other day...what exactly did you mean?"

He looked at me and grinned. "I was wondering when you would ask me that." He laughed. "My grandfather, the one I moved here to stay with, is also a shifter. He...experimented with a few things and he's written down quite a few things about us. Guidelines you could say they are. But anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself here. A shifter is like a mediator, but far more powerful. While a mere mediator can just communicate with the deceased, we can do far more."

I raised my eyebrows. "Far more? What can we do?"

He smiled, like he never thought I would ask. "Have you ever felt that rush of adrenaline you get when you're angry at someone or something?"

I nodded, a little confused. What did our emotions have anything to do with this? "Yes," I said.

"Well, we can channel that anger and hatred into power. Power that can do extreme things," he explained.

I was a little confused. "Why not happiness or...love?"

He shrugged. "I guess if the emotion was strong enough..."

I nodded. I was starting to understand this a little more. I looked around and noticed that more people were coming over near us. I looked up and saw the sun directly over us; it was probably around noon and people were coming here with their families to have lunch.

Paul noticed my gaze. "Do you want to go now? Its getting a little crowded now."

I nodded and stood up. Paul came and started walking with me.

When we got near some of the houses, I felt someone materialize near me. I turned and saw Jesse. I swear, I stumbled and nearly fell.

Luckily, Paul and Jesse both caught me. One would have done the job, but they're both gentlemen...or at the time I thought they both were.

"Susannah," Jesse said, eyeing Paul. "Where have you been? Father Dominic is looking for you."

Father Dom was looking for me? I thought our meeting was — oh. I missed it.

I turned to Jesse. "Damn, I missed it." I saw Jesse wince as I swore. "Can you go and tell Father Dom that I'm sorry and that I'll be there in a bit?"

Jesse hesitated. He looked from me to Paul, then back at me. It looked as if he did not trust Paul at all...as if he wished _he_ was the one that was walking me around all alone...

Or that could just be the wishful thinking on my part.

But Jesse nodded, and, with one last nervous glance at Paul, he dematerialized.

I was anticipating the reign of questions to come. I was ready for them, too. I knew that he would ask them and I was prepared to answer them.

"Suze," Paul said. He had a firm grip on my upper arm and turned me to face him. "Who was that?"

"That was Jesse," I said. It sounded nonchalant, even to my own ears. So, that was good, I guess. "He's a ghost I'm trying to mediate."

That was sort of a half-truth. I _was_ trying to mediate him, but that didn't mean I wanted him to go. I was growing...attached. And that was not good at all.

Paul let go of my arm as he breathed out a sigh of relief. But...what did he have to be relieved about?

We were silent for a few moments, then I looked at him and said, "Um, well, I have to go see Father Dominic. So...I suppose I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded and gave me a dazzling smile. "Of course."

And, well, that made me smile too. It was good to know that, maybe, possibly, _some_ guy happened to like me.

Even if I wasn't sure that the one _I_ happened to like did.


	8. Threats

**_Bewitched_ **

Chapter 7

After talking with Father Dominic, Jesse offered to walk me home. Who was I to say no?

I happily agreed, trying to hide my giddiness — but to no avail. I was actually pretty nervous, too.

I liked Jesse. A lot. That much I knew. How this came about, I am not so sure.

I mean, let's get the facts straight. Jesse is dead, I am alive. Nothing would ever work out. Or work out the way I wanted it to.

Having him walk me home, however, was okay. At least then I could think about how handsome I thought he was without actually worrying about it.

Jesse and I were walking along the pitch black streets toward my house. Luckily I had him there with me, or else I probably would not have been able to navigate the way to my house and would thus get lost.

The chilly night air swept under the skirt of my dress, causing me to shiver. Jesse looked over at me, concerned. "Are you cold?"

Did he actually care for my well-being or was I just imagining things? "Uh, no," I lied. "I'm fine." Besides, there was not much he could do about it anyway. It's not like he was _alive_ and could produce a good amount of body heat. Being dead and all, he didn't have body heat.

But...it did feel like it sometimes, when he was close to me and everything...

Oh, how I wished those strong, callused hands to be caressing my cheek and his face leaning in ever-so-closely, about to kiss me...

I was jarred out of my fantasies when a loose pig came running by, nearly knocking me down, and snorting happily that it was finally free. It was only a matter of time, I knew, that the owner would find it and kill it.

Some things in this world are just not justifiable — or fair, for that matter.

As I said before, though, the pig nearly knocked me down. To keep myself from falling to the ground, I clung onto Jesse for support; and he, in turn, wrapped his arms around my waist to keep me from falling even more — or that's what I thought he was doing, anyway.

It was about a minute later that I realized we were holding each other — more or less. My breath caught in my throat and for a fleeting second, I thought he was going to kiss me.

But yet again, it was just my wishful thinking.

I felt my face flush as I looked up at him. Jesse coughed and let go of me as I stood up on my two feet.

"I'm sorry," I hastily apologized.

He looked at me, a little smile evident on his lips. "You don't have to apologize, _querida_."

And there was that word again. The word I so desperately want to know the meaning of. I doubt Jesse would tell me what it means...but its worth a try.

"Jesse?"

He turned to look at me again. "Yes?"

"What does that word mean? Querida?" I asked innocently. Maybe if I put on an act, he would tell me...

"We should get going. I'm sure your mother is wondering where you are by now," he said, completely ignoring my question.

What could it possibly mean, that he won't tell me? Is it bad? Or is it good?

I sighed and mumbled an, "all right," and we kept walking in silence. When we got to my house, I thanked him for walking me home and went into the dining room. Brad was setting the table for supper.

I grabbed some plates from the counter and helped him finish. Then I went into the kitchen to help my mom put the food on the table. She smiled at me and said, "Did you have a fun time with Paul?"

Did she really think that's who I was with all day? I smiled. "Yeah. He's nice." Which really was what I thought at the time, too.

My mom grinned. "Good. We need to find a husband for you soon, anyway. Maybe he's the one for you."

As much as I thought Paul was nice and handsome, I shivered at the thought of marrying him. I guess it was the hold he had over me. I didn't think being married to someone like him would be all that nice.

Just to satisfy my mother, though, I smiled again and said, "Maybe," and brought the platter of food out into the other room, setting it in the center of the table.

The six of us ate — Andy, my mother, Brad, David, Jake, and me — dinner peacefully. Occasionally someone would bring up something to talk about and we would stay on that topic for a little while. Then it would die down and everyone would stuff their faces.

After supper, I went up to my room to change into my nightgown for bed. I shut my door, ready to undress, when I saw something glowing out of the corner of my eye. I whipped around and saw a ghost sitting by my window.

Mary was sitting on my window seat, smirking. I glared at her and asked, my tone full of hate, "what do you want?" I was not going to be kind to her after what she did the other day.

"Why, Susannah," she said, getting up and circling me, "have you not heeded my warnings?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Warnings?"

She scowled. "The chandelier?"

She didn't need to say more. I knew what she was talking about. "That was supposed to be a warning? Of what?"

She narrowed her eyes at me. "That if you don't get my life back soon, I'm going to do that to you," she growled.

How could I have ever thought this girl was nice?

"You're going to drop a chandelier on me?" I asked.

"No, you silly girl! I'm going to frame you; make it seem like you're a witch and have you hanged!" she yelled.

I gulped. Could she really do that?

I wish Jesse was there right then. He'd make her go away. Maybe not for good, but for the time being so I could think.

I blinked once and he was there. Well, that was convenient.

"Susannah, wha—" he broke off when he saw Mary standing there. "You," he said, his tone full of disgust and hate. "What are you doing here?"

She quivered. She was afraid of Jesse. I don't blame her, really. Jesse was very intimidating. "I-I came to warn her."

"Warn her of what?" he inquired, glaring at her. I actually kind of felt bad for her then.

She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "I all ready told her. There's no reason to tell you," she huffed.

"Then leave," he growled. I was even frightened then. I knew I did not want to get on Jesse's bad side.

She blinked fearfully and then dematerialized.

Jesse turned back to me. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned. It seems as if he's been concerned about me a lot lately. Maybe there's some significance in that...

I nodded. "I'm fine. I just...how did you know to come then?"

He smiled. "You called me, Susannah."

I blinked and looked at him in confusion. "Called you? But I didn't even say anything, how—"

"I mean," he said, "you called me telepathically. I heard your voice in my head and it sounded a little fearful, so I came here."

I was still confused. I didn't say his name or anything, nor did I 'call' him. What was he—

Realization dawned on me.

So, even when I _think_ about him, he hears it. That means I can't think about him anymore without him sort of knowing?

That is just great.

"Oh," I finally said. "I didn't know I could do that."

He smiled again and strode over to where I was, sitting on the edge of my bed. My breath caught in my throat as he came closer and closer, until he was only a few inches away from me.

I looked up into those warm, soft brown eyes. Eyes that I could easily get lost in. I am sure my eyes were not all that special when he was looking in them. All they probably reminded him of was grass or something equally bland. His, though, were dark, inky black pools that looked as if they went on and on forever.

I just wanted him to wrap those muscular arms around my waist and pull me into him.

I somehow found the guts to stand up. When I did, I thought I saw Jesse smile a little.

And before I knew it, Jesse had taken hold of my upper arms in his large, tendon-y hands and leaned down and kissed me. The kiss took my breath away. Never before had I been kissed by a man, and I really knew what I was missing out on, then.

It was soft kiss, but held an innumerable amount of passion. Passion that I so willingly replied with.

Jesse's hands went from my arms to encircling around my waist.

It all ended too soon, however, when Jesse realized what he was doing.

He suddenly jerked away and looked at me with something in his eyes. It looked a lot like...fear?

What did he have to be afraid of? That he would get some kind of disease from kissing me? While I think that is highly far-fetched, its not like it could happen anyway, since he was not among the living.

I was confused. What had I done to make him stop kissing me?

Jesse looked away. "I am completely and utterly sorry, Susannah. I have not a clue what came over me. I...I should go now."

He began to dematerialize, when I called out, "Wait!"

He shimmered back and looked at me expectantly. I didn't have anything planned to say. "Don't...don't leave. I didn't mind it. It was...it was nice."

He arched an eyebrow. "Susannah, in case you haven't realized, I am dead. I should not be kissing a young lady such as you, who is, in fact, alive."

I looked down. He was right; but I didn't care. "I..." I struggled for words; some kind of argument to refute what he had said. I couldn't find it though. Nothing was there.

All I wanted right then was for him to be kissing me again. I could not help the sensation that was brewing deep in the pit of my stomach. Suddenly, I didn't care if he was dead or not.

After all, he was the only real man that I could relate to and vice versa; the only man who actually befriended me — with the exception of Adam (but I never really though of him as a _man_; just a silly friend I have); and, more recently, the man who gave me my first kiss.

How could I tell him that, though? How could I explain it to him without it making me seem crazy?

There wasn't a way. Not one I could think of, at least.

So I let him leave. I was disappointed, of course, but I was still in a daze from the fact that he had kissed me.


	9. CeeCee and Adam's Return

**_Bewitched_ **

Chapter 8

Oh Lord, I am _so_ happy. CeeCee and Adam are coming back today. CeeCee sent me a letter not too long ago, saying she would be back on the 27th of September. And that was today.

I woke up early and did my daily morning routine, but I dressed up nice today. My mother had went to the tailor's house a few days ago and asked her to make me a new dress, Andy's wishes. When I asked Andy why he wanted me to get a new dress, he simply said, "because you deserve something new, Suze," which made me smile.

This new dress I had was a plain cream color, but it fit my form perfectly. It showed my curves spectacularly and made my bosom seem bigger than it really was. I think I would prefer to have Jesse see me in this than CeeCee and Adam, because maybe it would make him kiss me like that again . . .

I shook my head and continued to get myself ready. By the time I was finished, the sun was almost a sixth of the way to the west, meaning it was roughly seven-thirty.

I finished brushing my hair and then went to go put my shoes on.

After I was finished with everything, I went downstairs and helped my mom prepare the rest of breakfast. We put the food on the table, just as the boys were coming down the stairs to eat and Andy was coming in from the plantation — he's always up extra early on Sundays for town meetings and church.

We let them sit first before we took our seats, and, in turn, they let us take our food first, since my step-brothers had a habit of devouring all the food in one bite each. It was kind of amazing actually.

By the time we were finished eating, it was almost nine o'clock. I helped my mother clean the dishes and prepare the ingredients for lunch. She would watch the food as it was cooking and I could go out and see CeeCee and Adam for the first time in . . . a very long time.

I walked out of my house and walked down the gravel road to where CeeCee's house was. I saw her father outside near the barn grooming his horse, and her brother was gathering the eggs from the hens' nests.

Her father saw me and smiled. "Go right in, Suze. She's just unpacking right now."

I nodded and walked in. I pounded up the steps to her room. I knocked and she said to come in. I walked in, and when she saw me, she squealed in delight. She came over and wrapped her arms around me.

"Oh, my Lord, Suze!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe I'm finally back!"

I smiled. "I know. Me either. I've been so lonely without you guys. And Gina is still with her father over in Dorchester."

CeeCee gasped. "Oh dear . . ." she said. "Have you heard anything about them?"

I shook my head. "She sent me one letter about a month ago, saying that her father survived through the surgery, but I haven't heard anything since."

She sighed. "I wonder how they're doing . . ."

"Me too," I said. Then I shook my head. "We shouldn't be sad today. You have no idea how happy I am that you and Adam are back. I - I have a lot to tell you."

Now, before you start making assumptions, CeeCee, Adam and Gina are not mediators. CeeCee and Adam don't even really believe in ghosts, but Gina does. And I have not told them about my . . . abilities. I don't think they would ever understand if I did.

CeeCee nodded. "All right, then. Let's go get Adam," she said with a smile on her face.

She always smiles when it concerns Adam. I assume you can guess what that means.

- § -

"Suze!" was the last thing I heard before I was tackled by someone who I could only associate as Adam.

He wrapped his arms around me affectionately. "God, Suze, I've missed you so much!" he said. Then he let go. "You have no idea what its like to be with Webb and her family for 3 months straight without someone who has a level head."

CeeCee raised her eyebrow at Adam. Then she proceeded to whack him on the back of the head with her hand.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed and held the spot where CeeCee hit him. "God, Cee, you didn't have to hit _that_ hard!"

She smirked. "I would have hit harder, but I know how much of a weakling you are."

He narrowed his eyes at you. "If I didn't love you like I do, I would definitely have gotten rid of you by now."

CeeCee grinned. She always does when Adam says something like that, even if it is somewhat insulting. It's the fact that he said he loved her that makes her smile.

I wish I had something like that with someone. Someone who I could love with all my heart and vice versa; someone who would risk their life for me if it came down to that; some who would _always_ be there for me; and someone who would be my best friend.

However, considering my current status with men, I'm not so sure that would happen anytime soon.

I was happy for CeeCee and Adam, I really was. I knew for them that it was rare to find love so young in life, because, back in England, some of the higher ranked families picked out their child's significant other, whether or not they were in love with them or not.

Here in the colonies, we were trying to not be like England, so most likely they wouldn't force marriage upon us. Although, I _do_ want to get married, but I really doubt that would happen soon enough for my liking.

Yes, I was happy for them, but I was also jealous. Why couldn't _I_ find that, too? How come I couldn't be as lucky as them?

I sighed resignedly as Adam pulled CeeCee in for a quick kiss. Sure, I was happy for them, but I wished they wouldn't do that in front of me. I don't really fancy seeing my best friends lip-locking. It's not the most intriguing sight in the word, believe me.

CeeCee quickly pulled away, remembering that I was there. I smiled reassuringly at her sheepish grin.

"Sorry, Suze," she said. "I know how you feel about this . . ."

I shook my head. "No, it's all right. Just warn me next time, all right?"

She nodded, still grinning. Adam was just staring at CeeCee's behind while her back was turned away from him.

I let loose a snicker and CeeCee raised her eyebrow questioningly. I shook my head. "Nothing," I said. Adam was looking at me with a smile on his face. He knew why I was laughing.

CeeCee just rolled her eyes. "You two are imbeciles."

Adam grinned. "Yes, but that's precisely why you love us."

She rolled her eyes again. "Ah, yes, that's exactly the reason why I love you two."

We both laughed and exchanged humored glances. When we calmed down our laughter, CeeCee turned to me. "So, Suze, what was it that you needed to tell us?"

The smile quickly dropped off of my face. "Oh," I said. I looked from one to the other. "Um, while you were gone, there have been some very . . . interesting things going on." I sighed. "What do you want first? Good news or bad news?"

CeeCee and Adam looked at me expectantly and answered in unison, "Bad first."

I nodded. "You remember Goody Grace, right?" I asked.

They nodded. "Yes, of course. The nice lady that used to make us supper?"

I nodded again. "Well, she's been convicted of witchcraft . . . and the judges said she's guilty. She . . . she was hanged."

Both of their eyes widened. "No . . ." CeeCee said. "No, they couldn't have!"

"They did," I said quietly. "I was there, at the trial. It was . . . Kelly and Debbie convicted her. They said she poisoned their food all because her daughter was supposedly not as pretty as Kelly was."

"That's a load of horse manure," Adam claimed. "How can they convict of something like that? Surely the judges have more common sense than that."

"You're right, Adam. They didn't believe Kelly for a second, but when the chandelier . . . snapped off the ceiling of the building, they immediately turned to her and asked her if she did that. She said no, of course, and they thought she was lying because she did it. And - and she was s-sentenced to d-death."

I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. I tried not to let them spill, but I failed horribly.

CeeCee came over and put her arms around me. "Oh, Suze, that must have been horrible seeing that, knowing you couldn't do anything about it . . ." Then she gasped. "You didn't go to the hanging, did you?"

I shook my head. "My mother wouldn't let me."

"Good," she said. "I don't think you have been able to bare that. Oh, God, Suze, I'm so sorry . . ."

I untangled myself from her. "No, don't be sorry. You did nothing wrong and you shouldn't have to be sorry about it."

She nodded. "Now what's the good news, Suze?" Adam asked.

I managed a smile. "There's a new man in town. He moved here from Virginia."

CeeCee raised her eyebrows. "Virginia? Really?"

I nodded. "His name's Paul. We . . . we're acquaintances. He's nice . . . and very handsome."

CeeCee grinned. "Maybe we've found someone for you after all."

- § -

After supper, I was helping my mother clean up, when I heard a sharp rap on the front door. "I'll go see who it is," I said to my mother. She nodded and went to the front of the house.

I opened the door to see CeeCee there, looking completely frazzled.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She was out of breath. "There's . . . there's been a . . . another one," she panted.

I looked at her confusedly. "Another what?"

She looked me dead in the eyes and I felt a chill run down my spine. "Another accusation."


	10. Rejection

**_Bewitched_ **

Chapter 9

I looked at her seriously, my face deadpan. I didn't believe her. "W-what?" I stammered out.

She grabbed my arm and started pulling me out the door. "There's no time to explain, Suze," she breathed out. She pulled me out the door, not letting me even tell my mom I was leaving the house.

About five minutes later, she pulled me up near this tiny house. I had never really been to this part of the village before, because I had no need to.

The next thing I saw really surprised me.

CeeCee hid us in a shrub nearby, but we could still see what was going on outside of the house. A poor woman being taken away onto a carriage with two other women bound to the inside of the carriage.

A million questions floated through my mind. Who were they? What did they do? Where were they being taken?

None of my questions were answered, however.

"Okay," I whispered quietly to CeeCee, "I have had enough."

She nodded and we quietly scampered out of there.

- § -

I rolled over in my bed. I couldn't sleep. The scene that had unfolded before me only a few hours ago was still replaying in my mind.

I still couldn't fathom what was going on. I was extremely confused as to what was happening around me. I just didn't understand how some people could be so _heartless_.

But I guess you should never underestimate the human race.

I sighed and got out of bed. I walked over to my window seat and sat down on it, gazing out the little window in front of me. The village was still, but there was still that lingering sense of inhumanity hanging around.

I closed my eyes for a second and tried to rid myself of all my negative thoughts; but it didn't work. I just kept thinking about it too much.

What was going to happen tomorrow when everyone found out that there were more people accused?

Chaos.

That was probably what would happen. That's what I was anticipating. The people in this village just couldn't comprehend what was happening. Even _I_ was having a difficult time understanding what was going on, and I was very open-minded.

But, I wondered, who accused them this time? Was it Kelly and Debbie this time? Or . . .someone else?

I shook my head and tried not to think.

I find that when you try not to think, you think even more.

I sighed resignedly. I just wanted answers to questions that I couldn't have answers to; and I hated that, very much.

But . . . wait.

Jesse.

He can give me some of the answers I needed. He must have seen something.

I sat up straight and looked around my room.

Okay, what did I do last time? He said I called him . . . but I didn't say anything . . .

. . . but I thought about him. I guess if I just think his name . . . ?

Jesse.

I opened my eyes to find nothing.

Jesse.

Nothing.

Jesse!

I sighed when nothing happened again. Lately it seems that I can't do anything right.

Just when I was about to give up and attempt to go to sleep, Jesse appeared. He looked at me expectantly. "Susannah, what is wrong?"

I was so glad to see him, you have no idea. Sure, it had only been a day since I had last seen him, but it seemed like an eternity.

That's why I did what I did next. Or, that's what I kept telling myself.

I threw my arms around him and hugged him. To say he was shocked would be a major understatement. He tensed up beneath me and just awkwardly stood there.

I realized what I did and quickly removed myself from him. "Sorry," I muttered. I could feel my face heating up considerably. Luckily it was pretty dark out so that he couldn't see it.

"It's all right, Susannah," he said. He looked at me and smiled. "Now, what is it that you called me here for?"

"I . . . I don't know if you've heard or not, but . . . well, there's been another accusation, Jesse. I just - I wanted to know if you knew anything about it . . ."

He blinked. "Yes, I know about that, Susannah." He shook his head. "I don't know much about it; but I do know that it's a young woman, probably a few years older than you."

I nodded. I all ready knew that much. All the hope I had of having some of my questions answered disintegrated, leaving behind a pang of guilt. Why I felt guilty, I really do not know. It could have been a number of things: not being able to do anything about the (innocent) people being accused; the pain I have caused my mother with not being a 'normal' child; or it could have been the sudden inappropriate thoughts I was having about a certain ghost that was standing right in front of me.

"Thanks," I said. I really meant it, even if it wasn't much help to me.

He smiled. "You're welcome."

Then we fell into an awkward silence. Among the things I hate the most are awkward silences. I mean, you _want_ to say something to break it, but either you can't think of anything to say, or what you want to say just isn't right. And then the silence keeps growing and growing until someone just _has_ to say something, no matter what it is.

And the person who happened to break it was Jesse. "Susannah," he said. "I . . . you don't realize how sorry I am about what happened the other day . . ."

I stared at him blankly. What was he talking about? Then it hit me. He was _sorry_ that he kissed me. Why? Was I that horrible to kiss?

"Um," I said unsurely. "It's okay, Jesse. It's - no, it's fine."

He looked at me uneasily. "You are sure?"

I nodded. "Yes. Yes, I'm sure."

He breathed a huge sigh of relief. Or, that's what I think it was.

There was this feeling inside of me, then.

Rejection.

He was _sorry_ that he kissed me. Like it was some horrible, vile thing to do, and he just wanted to rid himself of the memory entirely.

You have no idea how bad that made me feel. I felt . . . unwanted, unloved, and disgusting. That a _ghost_ even thought it was gross to kiss me. But . . .

Paul.

He looked like he wanted to kiss me. _He_ seemed like he liked me, and even wanted to kiss me. And, yes, I wanted to kiss him, too. He was unbelievably handsome. He was unlike most of the other men in this village, this new place. He was real, _alive_. Something Jesse will never be.

And if Jesse didn't want me, then maybe Paul would.

"Susannah? Is everything okay?"

I shook my head and looked up at Jesse. Just looking into those inky black eyes made me want to burst into tears. Those were the eyes of a man that I . . . that I . . .

Oh, dear, I can't even get myself to write it, let alone say it.

Oh, hell.

I was in love with him. But — but it didn't matter anymore. He didn't return _any_ of my feelings. None whatsoever.

"Um, yeah," I said. "Just, yeah. I just realized something, is all."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Realized what?"

"Um, that I should be going to sleep now."

He nodded. "Yes. Yes, you should. Sorry to keep you awake." And he dematerialized.

I didn't mention that I was the one that had called him.

All hope of actually falling asleep dissipated. I buried my face in my pillow and started sobbing out all my problems.

What had I ever done to deserve this?


	11. Of Lakes and Sunsets

******_Bewitched_ **

Chapter 10

The next week went by in a blurry haze. But there wasn't one moment that I was asking myself what I did to screw things up; why Jesse could never like me. And then I kept telling myself that he was dead, and even if he did like me, it wouldn't have worked out, anyway.

But it still didn't help to ease the pain that was overwhelming me.

I was so absorbed in my own self-pity that I wasn't even very aware of what was happening around me.

More accusations.

Oh, sure, I heard about them, from my mother, of course; but I never really acknowledged them. And that made me feel really self-centered, that I was only thinking of myself and _my_ life problems than the lives of others.

After that dreadful week, I finally decided to put an end to weeping every night over something as stupid as this. We just had to be . . . friends. As much as it would kill me to do so, that's how it had to be.

I went to the church that night to have a discussion with Father Dominic. I had to ask him what was going on, what I had missed when I was wallowing in my own misery.

"Why, Susannah," he said pleasantly when I arrived. His voice was pleasant enough, but it still held an ounce of pain in it. I knew why, too. He didn't like to see people dying for no reason; he didn't like seeing people dying at _all_, for that matter. And neither did I. "What a wonderful surprise. You know, I haven't seen you around here in quite a while."

I tried as best as I could to smile, but all that came out was a slight twitch of my lips. Father Dominic noticed my lack of enthusiasm for anything, since he asked me, "What is wrong, Susannah?"

I looked down. I couldn't tell him what was going on. I knew he would have forbidden even the thought of me being with Jesse, but me telling him that I fell in love with him?

I'm sure he would have had a heart attack. And that I did not want to cause him. Not at all.

"Nothing, Father. Just . . . well, the obvious." Of course, some of it _was_ the obvious, but mostly it was the fact that I couldn't even get a ghost to love me.

He nodded knowingly. "Yes, yes," he said. "I can see why that would put you down."

I looked at him. "Is there . . . is there any way to stop this?"

He sighed. "Susannah, if there was _any_ way to stop this, I would have done it all ready. The human race is remarkable in its own way, but foolish in another. We tend to act on impulse alone, and that will probably be our greatest downfall."

How he comes up with these speeches, I will never know.

I felt the tears pricking the back of my eyes and the tingling sensation in my nose. _Not now..._ "How . . . how many?"

Father Dominic looked at me questioningly. "How many what, child?"

"How many were killed?" I could barely get the words out of my mouth. I didn't want to even say them at all, didn't want to think it. But if I don't now, its going to build up later on and be even worse.

He looked down at the floor. "Since Goody Grace?" I nodded. "Three. Three were killed, Susannah. But I'm sure you've been keeping up with that."

I nodded again. _No, I wasn't_, I wanted to tell him. _I've been too busy thinking about what could have been instead of what is happening now._

Four people have been killed. FOUR PEOPLE. All because of some pathetic people who have nothing else better to do but ruin people's lives. And end them, too, apparently.

"I was just . . . just making sure," I stammered out. Suddenly everything was getting too overwhelming. If it wasn't all ready before, it was surely now.

I blinked back the tears that were threatening to erupt. Why can _nothing_ go right with my life? Why is everything so screwed up?

"Susannah."

I looked up. Father Dominic was looking down at me, concerned. "Susannah, what is wrong? It's clear that it isn't just about these trials. Tell me, child."

I contemplated telling him about it. Telling him how foolish and stupid I was. But . . . no. This was my stupid mistake and it was going to stay that way. No one else had to know about it. No one.

"Father, I mean no disrespect, but I would rather not discuss it."

He nodded. "All right, child; but if you ever do need to talk about something, you can come to me. You know that, right?"

I nodded. I turned around to get out of there as fast as I could. I knew I couldn't keep those tears away any longer. Someone, however, stopped me.

"Not so fast, Susannah," Father Dominic said. "You and I need to discuss some important matters."

I turned back around. "What matters?"

"Have . . . have any of the . . . victims come to you yet?" he asked.

I blinked. Victims?

. . . oh. Them.

I shook my head. "No. The only ghost I've seen lately are Mary and - and Jesse." My voice cracked when I said his name. I couldn't help it. Just saying his name brought me pain.

Father Dominic looked at me curiously. "Jesse? Come to think of it, I haven't seen him today. Have you?"

I shook my head. Of course I haven't. I probably wouldn't be as stable as I was now if I had seen him today.

"Oh. All right, then. I guess I will see you tomorrow, then, Susannah? At church?"

I nodded. "Of course," I said.

- § -

"Paul, this isn't some kind of joke!"

The smile he had on his face quickly disappeared. "Suze, I was just trying to cheer you up . . ."

I glared coldly at him. "I don't need cheering up. I am perfectly fine, thank you."

He sighed. "Oh, really? Then why have you been so distant lately? It's like you're not even all there, or something."

"In case you haven't noticed, people are _dying_," I said. I know my words were harsh, but he was making it seem like it was a couple of ants we squashed instead of people actually being killed because of something they didn't even _do_.

"I have noticed," he said defensively. "But we can't do anything about it, Suze. The people in this town are . . ." he trailed off, trying to look for a word to describe our town's inhabitants, ". . . savage."

Affronted, I said, "Savage? Oh, so I'm savage now?"

"No! I didn't say that! Everyone else is, Suze. The people who can just sit back and see people being hanged for no particular reason!"

. . . oh.

Maybe he _was_ human, then. I mean, before it seemed like nothing could ever bother him. But now . . . well, he was actually showing some emotion now. God knows I've showed enough all ready.

I didn't say anything to what he said. What _could_ I say, anyway?

So we sat in a very uncomfortable silence for I don't know how long. It seemed like an eternity. But, suddenly, Paul stood up.

I gave him a questioning look and he said, "Come on. I want to show you something."

About ten minutes later, we arrived in a wooded area — it wasn't heavily wooded, like some of the places in our village were, but there were quite a bit of trees. I looked around and didn't recognize anything within sight.

I bit my lip. Okay, I trust Paul. He didn't lead me in here so he could do something horrible to me. He wouldn't do that.

Would he?

I shook my head. Of course he wouldn't. Remember, Suze? He's actually human.

Paul stopped suddenly. I nearly bumped into him because I was walking right behind him. I looked around and was confused as to why he stopped when I noticed this lake in front of us. It was an ordinary lake, but its natural beauty was enhanced by the pinks and oranges of the sky as the sun was setting.

My eyes roamed over to the sunset that was in plain view. I gasped at how beautiful it was. So _this_ is why Paul brought me here.

Paul came to stand next to me. "I take it you like it?"

I smiled and tore my eyes from the natural beauty. "Yes. I do."

He smiled to and looked ahead at it. I did to. In about two minutes the sun was gone and all there was left was the darkening of the sky.

I was about to turn around to leave — getting out of these woods in the dark wouldn't be an easy feat — when Paul pulled me back to face him.

I looked up at him, a look of confusion taking over my face, I am sure. He quickly answered my confusion, though, by bringing his lips down on mine.

I was shocked.

Okay, understatement. I was astonished.

I mean, sure, I _wanted_ him to kiss me. After everything that happened with Jesse, it would have been a relief. But it just came as a surprise, because I didn't actually think it was going to happen. I guess my subconscious made out his first attempt to kiss me to be a mistake.

But whatever it was, the feeling of his lips on mine was _good_. He was a _very_ good kisser. Regrettably, though, he had to pull away; we both needed some air.

He looked into my eyes and smiled. I smiled back giddily. We both walked back out of the wooded area and back into civilization.

Maybe everything would be okay after all. I didn't need Jesse to make me feel wanted. Paul all ready did that with his kiss.

And, okay, maybe Jesse's kiss felt like it held a little more love in it than Paul's pure-passion-and-fire kiss, but I didn't care at this point. At least _someone_ wanted something to do with me.


	12. Then So Be It

**_Bewitched_ **

Chapter 11

I thought maybe being with Paul would help me get over the dreadful feelings I was having. But I guess not. All the while I was with him, I could not stop thinking of Jesse. I did not _want_ to be thinking about him, but that was all that I _could_ think about.

About how I loved him so much it hurt.

I do not know how and I do not know _why_ but I was suddenly deeply in love with him. It was not this gradual thing that everyone made it out to be.

Well, maybe it was, I just did not realize it until only a little while ago. But whatever it was, I hated it. I hated knowing that I felt something so great for him and he did not even return an ounce of it.

It just broke my heart.

Well, I guess my heart was not quite broken yet. Once he _tells_ me that I am being foolish and he would — _could_ — never love me, _then_ my heart would split right in half and shatter at his ghostly feet.

But that's the thing. He _is_ only a ghost. I did not understand why I had these feelings toward someone that is _dead_. Someone whom no one else can see, except for Paul and Father Dominic.

I just wanted it all to go away and for me to go back to my life again. I almost wished I had never even met him, never even tried to help him that day at the market.

I say almost, because if I had not met him, I would have never experienced what love felt like, however painful it may be.

So that night I went home and prayed to God. Prayed that everything just go away, everything to get better. I prayed that everything that was happening lately — the trials — to just cease.

But my prayers meant nothing, as I soon learned.

Because only a few days later, someone so near and dear to me was accused. Someone I never even thought would be accused.

My own mother.

When they came to take my mother away, to sit in the jail and be miserable, I just could not believe it.

Why her?

What did she ever do to anyone?

And, most of all, who was the rotten person that accused her? And what was their motive?

I practically jumped on the cart with my mom. If she was being sent away, then I should be too. I would stand next to her until the death if I had to.

But hopefully it would not come down to that.

When the judge pulled me off the carriage and made Andy hold me back, I noticed that David was crying. He was just as devastated as I was. If not, more.

She was not just my mom anymore, like it used to be back in England. She was David's, Jake's, and Brad's, too.

And she was Andy's wife.

I was being selfish.

However reasonable it was, I was being selfish.

I wanted to go and curl up in a ball somewhere, but I did not. I had to be strong.

For my family.

For David.

He needed comfort, assurances that everything would be all right. And giving him comfort in this time would give me the comfort I needed.

I watched tearfully as they took my mother away, along with two other woman and the local apothecary. I secretly wondered what he was accused of.

The last thing my mom said to me before I could no longer see her was, "Have faith, Suzie."

That I will. Even if my prayers were not answered.

After everything that has happened, she still believed that God was on her side, that he would save her from what was about to happen.

Inevitably, death.

Yes, I believed in God, but I did not believe he would save her from this.

I had to.

And I would, if it was the last thing I did.

This was no longer about me and my problems. It was about the life of my mother. And the lives of many other people.

- § -

That night I went to see Father Dominic. If anyone would help me with what was happening, it would be him.

I walked into the chapel with a no expression on my face whatsoever. I just expected it to be Father Dominic there.

But that's not what I came across. Not in the least.

Jesse was there. He was talking to Father Dominic. In hushed voices, too. I do not really know why. It is not like anyone else was there to hear them — or hear Jesse, for that matter, since there are not any other mediators in this town that I know of.

They both looked at me when I walked in. Jesse smiled at me and Father Dominic looked at me pityingly. If its one thing I hate, its pity.

I hate having people feel bad for me. No matter what has happened.

I did not return the smile to Jesse. I am sure there is enough explanation for that.

"Susannah," Father Dominic greeted me. "How are you this evening?"

"Do you even have to ask?" I said with no emotion.

I noticed Jesse's face fell, but I did not glance in his direction. "Susannah, I know what has happened, but everything will turn out all right."

I narrowed my eyes. "After everything that has happened, you still believe that it is going to turn out all right?" I shook my head. "No. It's _not_ going to be all right. At least, not if I don't do anything about it."

He narrowed his eyes at me, but not in an angry way. More of in a scrutinizing way. "Susannah, what are you saying?"

"Father Dominic, I have to do something. If I don't, well, I'm sure you know what will happen if I don't."

He shook his head quickly, his white hair fluttering wildly. "No! Susannah, if they see you trying to aid one of the convicted they will convict you, too!"

I looked at him grimly. "Then so be it."


	13. Marry Me?

**_Bewitched_ **

Chapter 12

It may have sounded like I had a plan. However, I did not. Not at all.

It was moronic of me to not have had a plan before I said anything to anybody. I assume it was just the emotion building up inside of me over everything that was happening. Everything from Jesse to my mother . . .

I just could take it no longer.

And I snapped.

I realized soon enough that I could not do this alone. I needed someone's help.

Not Father Dominic. Not Jesse. Not any of my family members, or even CeeCee and Adam.

Paul. I had to go to Paul.

I remembered him saying that there are things that he and I can do that I could not even begin to dream of. Meaning . . . magic.

Or something along those lines.

Something that I needed to get my mother out stealthily and unscathed.

Something that I did not even know how to do, or even knew what it was.

That was why I needed to go to Paul. So he could show me these things so I could get my mother out. I _needed_ this. If she . . .

Do _not_ even go there, Suze. She will not. You will _not_ let that happen to her.

When I told Andy I was going out to the market (a lie, of course, since I was really going to Paul's), he was all worried. He asked me if I wanted someone to go with me, but I assured him I was fine and I would be back in time to for supper (Andy was making it because my mom was not around to, and he said he wanted to give me a break from everything, which was very nice of him, I have to admit).

It took me about a half an hour to get to Paul's house. I had never been there before, but I remembered that he told me it was near the woods — the _only_ house near the woods. Everyone else's houses were all on plantations. Paul's didn't need to be, since he lived with his grandfather and he was barely lucid enough to even engage in a conversation, let alone trying to manage crops.

Needless to say, when I got to Paul's house and knocked on the front door — which I noticed was a _very_ rare looking wood from not around here — he was very shocked to see who was actually standing on his doorstep.

"Suze," he said, still shocked from seeing me at his house, "what a pleasant surprise." He opened the door wider and gestured for me to come in.

I noticed, as soon as I entered his house, that it was _very_ big. His grandfather must have been a very wealthy merchant or something to have been able to afford something like this. Because certainly a man like him could not have built something like this, and I highly doubt Paul did.

"You can sit, you know," he said with a hint of amusement in his tone. He gestured to the bench in the room we had just walked into.

I sat gratefully down on the bench. And he sat next to me.

Nothing really happened between us after he kissed me. Sure, we talked a little more, I guess. But he did not kiss me again.

That is not to say that he did not _try_. Oh, he did, but I refused. I guess I was still caught up over Jesse. I did not mean to be, but I just could not kiss a guy I that did not love.

I know I kissed him before, and I am kind of starting to regret it, now. I mean, he took advantage of the fact that I happened to like that kiss.

But the guilt I felt over it was more than I could bare. For some reason, I still felt obligated to be true to Jesse even if he did not, in fact, love me.

"Suze?"

I looked up and noticed Paul was looking at me curiously.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded quickly. Physically, yes, I was. Mentally? Not so much. "Yes. I'm fine."

He narrowed his eyes, like he did not believe me. But he shook it off and asked, "Why are you here, Suze?"

I sighed. Why _was_ I here? Did I really think he would help me?

Yes. I did. No, actually. I _hoped_ he would help me.

"I need your help," I said, almost inaudible.

He raised an eyebrow. "With what?"

"I — I'm sure you've heard about what happened to my mother." When he nodded I continued. "And I remember what you said about us doing th—"

"Suze," he interrupted me. "Are you trying to say that you want me to teach you how to shift to get your mother out of prison?"

I nodded, a little uneasy now. "Well...yes."

He sighed. "It's not something that you can just learn in one day and do it perfectly. It takes time to learn it properly, time you don't have, Suze..." By then he had stood up from the bench, towering over me as I was still seated.

"Well, can't you just _try_? If I don't learn fast enough, then it's _my_ fault, not yours." I was getting frustrated now. I _needed_ to do this and he was delaying me even more.

"Suze, you really do not understand. This takes a lot—"

"Please," I begged. "I will do anything, Paul. Anything."

He cocked an eyebrow. "You're willing to do anything for me if I just teach you how to shift?"

I nodded, suddenly nervous. What was he implying...?

"Okay, then." He fixed his eyes on mine and said, in the most sincere voice I had ever heard him use, "Marry me, Suze."

I blinked. Wait...no. He could _not_ be asking me to do this. He _couldn't_.

But he was. And I had said I would do anything. Was I willing to marry him?

Would it really be bad, though? He was nice and all, maybe a little bossy at times, but nice. He was very handsome, too. I knew Kelly Prescott and her crowd would be extremely jealous.

But I didn't love him.

I knew that much. It wouldn't feel right, being married to a man I did not love.

...but even if Jesse did love me, nothing could happen. We wouldn't be able to get married, have children, and live happily ever after.

That realization was what made me do what I did next.

"Okay," I said.

He looked a little shocked, like he simply could not believe that I had agreed to this.

It's not like I really had much of a choice anyway. I had to do this.

The shock on his face soon faded to sheer joy. He was _happy_.

Well, at least _one_ of us was.

Paul sat down next to me again, taking my hands in his. "Suze...are you...are you sure?"

I turned my head to face him, tears suddenly welling in my eyes. "Yes, Paul. I...I am sure."

And then he grabbed my arms and pulled me into a kiss. He kissed me with such...passion, that I thought I would crumble right there in his arms.

I did not pull away that time. I had to make him believe that I was willing to marry him if he did this for me, even if it was something that I did _not_ want to be doing.

So I kissed him back.

And let's just say he believed me after we each pulled away.

- § -

"Suze, just watch me. It really is not that hard."

So I watched him and tried to mimick what he was doing. And I failed, yet again.

He sighed and came back over to me. "You have to concentrate, Suze. You have to _really_ want this for it to work. That's why your emotions play a big part in shifting. If you don't control them, they will control you."

I nodded. Again, I tried what he was telling me to do.

And when I opened my eyes again, I was in the corner of the room, instead of the center.

"Hmm," he said, "you're getting better. Now, try shifting _out_ of the house, okay?"

I nodded, fully aware that he was jeering at me. But what could I do? I had to go along with him and not fight about it.

I closed my eyes again and focused. I pictured the outside of his house in my mind. The sounds, the smell, the sight...

When I opened my eyes again, I was still in the room.

I groaned, frustrated. Why couldn't I do this? I _did_ want this! I wanted it more than _any_thing.

So why could I not do it?

Paul came over and put a hand on my shoulder, steadying me. "Suze, its natural to not get it the first few times. You will get used to it. It takes time."

I looked into his icy blue eyes and said, "Time is something I do not have, Paul."

He looked away from me. "All right. Well, let's try something different."

He led me over to the kitchen, where I saw something spoons lying on the counter. "I figured it would be safer to use spoons, instead of forks and knives," he said in a sort of joking tone.

I smiled, trying to look like I was at least a little happy. Although, I was sincerely not.

"We're going to try and move these," he said, "with your mind."

He focused his eyes on one of the spoons. I soon saw the spoon floating in midair. I felt my eyes widen and my mouth open in shock.

Paul laughed at the look I was giving him. "We can do many things as shifters, Suze. All you have to do is learn them."

"But...but isn't this just like being a witch?"

"No," he said, "it's not. Witches and shifters are not the same thing. They are not even _close_ to being the same thing, Suze."

I was shocked at the sudden hardness that appeared in his voice.

"So," he said, his tone changing back to content, "let's have you try it."

I nodded and copied what he did. I concentrated on the spoon, for several minutes it seemed.

And I was very shocked to see it start floating.

Paul smiled. "This will have to do," he said. "You really don't have much time left."


	14. Confessions

****

Bewitched

Chapter 13

I went home to change into my nightclothes. They would be a lot easier to maneuver in than the dress I was wearing, which I could barely move in as it is. When I got in, though, I was surprised to see that everyone was still up. I walked into the family room, where Andy and the boys were sitting around the fireplace.

They looked up when I walked in. Andy breathed a sigh of relief and came over to me and hugged me. I was...well, I was rather surprised. That he hugged me, that is. I cannot really remember the last time that happened. But I felt myself reply to the hug anyway. It was not at all uncomfortable, like I always assumed it would be.

Andy pulled away a few seconds later, only to grip my shoulders and shake me a few times. This I was surprised at. Why on earth was he shaking me like that?

"Susannah, where have you been?" he asked in a worried voice. "You really should not be out at this time, considering the accusations going around."

I looked up into those worried eyes of his and nodded. "I...I am sorry. I was...with a friend."

I was not really sure if there was any hope in me going out after this. I wanted so desperately to save my mother, to let her free, but I could not just run out of the house with no warning to my new family. I knew they cared for me and I could not take that for granted.

Andy sighed and let go of my shoulders. "It is alright, Susannah. I was just worried. I do not want the same thing that happened to your mother to happen to you."

I gulped and nodded, not quite able to meet his eyes. That is when I felt the gaze of someone else on me. I turned around and looked at my three step-brothers behind me, who were looking on quietly. Brad seemed uninterested in what was going on, but he still remained quiet. Jake and David were looking at me with concern on their faces.

I did not really hit me until then how lucky I am to have a family that cares for me, one that wants nothing but the best for me. I felt the tears gathering at the back of my eyes, but I could not stop them from flowing over my eyelids, no matter how much I wanted to.

"Susannah."

I turned back around and looked into the face of my step-father; the man who took me in under his wing when he could have refused to do so.

"There is something you should know, child," he said in a whisper. There was something in his voice that I could not quite detect. It was either happiness or...sorrow. It is funny how there is such a fine line between those two, just like love and hate.

I nodded to show him that I was listening intently. He continued speaking.

"Your mother, Susannah. She...she will not be sentenced. At least, not for a while."

My eyes widened in shear shock. And, well, joy. She will not be sentenced? But what happened?

Andy seemed to notice my inability to speak, since he smiled and said, "She has claimed to be carrying a child."

I blinked at the news I had just received. My mother...carrying a child? Could it be true?

"She is only two months along, Susannah, so she is not showing yet. But the judges say that she will not be sentenced until she has delivered the child. Although, we are all secretly hoping that this...predicament blows over by that time."

I nodded happily. So maybe...maybe I would not have to go and save her. She would be fine. She has to be fine. Everything would be okay again. Surely the trials would be over by the time she "delivered" the baby. Oh, I really do not think I have been happier in my entire life.

But then I remembered something. I agreed to marry Paul in exchange for his help.

I agreed to marry Paul Slater, who I do not love.

- § -

I did not really sleep all that well that night. I thought I would, considering I knew my mother would be safe for the time being, but I just kept thinking about the agreement I made with Paul. If I had known that my mother was 'carrying a child' beforehand, I would not have done something so rash as to agree to marry a man like him.

Although...the man I did want to marry was dead. Also, he seemed to want nothing to do with me. I have not seen him for the past...two weeks. Is that really how long it has been? Two weeks? Well, actually, it seems as if it has been two _years_, instead of just two measly weeks.

It was still very early when I looked outside my window. The sky was still dark, the moon only slightly illuminating it. I had no hope of going back to sleep.

So, silently, I slipped out of my window and climbed onto the roof. I did this every so often when I could not sleep. It was peaceful up here. I could lie down and look up at the stars, the nighttime breeze calming me down. Oftentimes, when I came out here, I would fall asleep on the roof.

I hiked the skirt of my nightgown up to my thighs, letting the breeze cool me down. I fell back against the roof and looked up at the stars. It was a clear night, so I could see every star in the sky, and the moon was as big as ever.

If I were a passerby, I would probably say it was a perfect night. But I am not a passerby; I know better. Nothing can ever be perfect. At least, not in my life.

I must have been up there for nearly an hour when I heard a tinkling of materialization behind me. Thinking it was Mary, the evil ghost, and her husband, I turned around, ready to give them a piece of my mind. But...it was not Mary and her husband.

It was Jesse.

I gulped and just...stared at him. It was as if I was paralyzed and could no longer move or do anything. I could not even think straight. He was about a foot away from me and even that was too close for comfort.

Suddenly I turned back around. The spell I was under had broken and I took advantage of that. I just could not bare to look in those eyes, the eyes of the man I love, but who does not love me back.

I just kept looking straight into the night. But then I felt him sit down beside me. He was only mere inches away from me at this point, and I was beginning to squirm with discomfort.

He was silent, just looked out into the night as I was doing. I do not know why he was there, or what he wanted, but it was beginning to get on my nerves. So I turned to him and said, trying to keep my voice from wavering, "What are you doing here?"

He did not turn his head to look at me, just kept looking out at the village. "I wanted to talk to you," he said softly. That was when he turned to look at me, and yet again I found myself lost in those inky black eyes of his.

I shook my head and looked away. How is it that someone can make me feel this way?

"About what?" I finally asked, pulling my dress back down around my ankles.

He hesitated, like he was afraid to say what he was about to say, and looked away. "About...us."

I blinked and looked at him curiously. My heart stopped beating. Did he just say what I think he said?

"What...what do you mean?" I asked, my voice almost inaudible.

He sighed and looked back at me. "It is clear that you are angry with me, Susannah."

"Angry with you? Jesse, you have not been around for two _weeks_! What do you expect?" I cried. I was trying to keep my voice down, lest anyone hear me, but the emotion suddenly rushing around in me was too much to bear.

He looked away. "I have been doing some...thinking. I...I cannot be here with you anymore, Susannah. Father Dominic has decided that it would be best if I stayed with him until he figures out why I am still here."

My eyes widened and I felt my eyes fill up with tears. "You are...leaving?" I asked hesitantly.

He nodded, still not daring to look at me. "It is for the best, Susannah."

"Why?"

That was when he looked back at me. He saw the tears welling up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. I vaguely remember his hand coming to my cheek, wiping away the tears that were now rolling down them.

And then he looked in my eyes and said, his voice full of emotion, "Oh, _querida_."

Somewhere along the way I buried my head in his chest and started bawling. His arms came around me protectively and I started crying even harder. I heard him uttering words to me, but I could not understand them; they sounded like they were in Spanish.

It seemed like forever that we were out on the roof, him just holding me. I did not want it to end, ever, but I knew it would soon enough. Good things never last. At least, not to me.

And I knew the moment was over when Jesse removed his arms from around me. He put his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me away. But...it was not for the reason I thought it was. He was not revolted by me crying on him.

Instead of shoving me away and dematerializing, leaving me all alone to wallow in my self-pity, he took one hand and lifted my chin with it, so I was looking in his eyes. Eyes that were so full of...love. I knew then that I had everything all wrong. He _did_ love me, but I was just too stupid and concerned about myself to even see it.

And then he leaned in and captured my lips with his own. I felt as if I was numb. I could not move an inch of my body, could not react at all to what he was doing. I _wanted_ to, but I was just so astonished. I thought this would never happen to me again...but it was. And if I did not do anything in a moment, Jesse would pull away and think that I was not enjoying it.

And that is exactly what he did. He pulled away from me, looking me right in the eye, and then jumped away from me as if I was on fire.

"Oh, _dios_," he mumbled, not looking at me. "I am so sorry, Susannah. You are obviously distraught and I—"

Suddenly able to take control of my limbs again, I got up and walked over to him, careful not to trip and fall off the roof. I put my hand on his shoulder and tried to coax him into turning around. Oh, he turned around, but only to say, "I should go." And then he tried to dematerialize.

I say "tried" because I cried, "Wait!" and grabbed onto his arm so he could not leave without taking me with him. He became whole again and looked at me questioningly.

I sighed and whispered, "Don't go."

"Susannah, you must see that this is what has to happen. When I am around you...I cannot control myself. I cannot be around you anymore, because I am afraid of what I would do."

I looked up and into his eyes yet again. "I don't care, Jesse. I...I have feelings for you. Feelings that I have never had with any other man before, and I do not know...what to do."

Jesse just kept looking at me. He did not say anything, or even move, just looked at me. Then, after a good moments silence, he said, as softly as possible, "What are you saying, Susannah?"

I looked down. I could not look in his eyes saying this. I was afraid he would reject me, and seeing the look in his eye when he did...well, it would not make me any happier than I was now. Wait, what in the world am I saying? I _saw_ it in his eyes. I saw the love that they held...oh, please let that be love and not something else...

I took a deep breath and said, rather rushed I must say, "I am in love with you, Jesse."

There was no response from him for a few moments. I was not sure if he just left and I did not hear him go, but when I looked up to see if this was true, I saw that he was still standing there, just looking down at me with an unreadable expression.

Oh, Lord. Maybe that was not love that I saw in his eyes...or maybe it was, just not the kind of love I want from this man. That must be it. He probably views me as one of his sisters and just...

But why would he kiss his sister?

_Say something,_ I silently urged him. I did not care at that point whether he rejected me or not. I could bare the silence no longer.

It seemed as if he did hear my silent urging, since not a second later, he opened his mouth and said, "_Dios,_ you have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that, Susannah. I love you, too, _querida_." He whispered the last part as he took the few steps toward me.

And then, with no warning at all, he kissed me again. That kiss was not like the one he had given me only moments ago. It was...passionate. I felt the love in that kiss as his tongue intertwined with mine.

But then it ended all too soon. I did not know if it was customary to think while you are kissing someone, but I did. And that was when I remembered the other events of that day. Mainly, I promised myself to someone. Someone who is Paul Slater.

Someone I do not love.

I wrenched myself away from Jesse and turned away from him. I had to tell him. I _had_ to, but I did not want to. I did not want to be there to see his face when I told him I am marrying Paul.

Jesse was shocked, to say the least. That I pulled away like that, that is. I think he took that as me not liking it, since he started apologizing profusely.

I turned back around to face him. I shushed him and told him it was not that I did not like the kiss, but there was something that I had to tell him. He looked at me expectantly.

"I...maybe we should go back inside first."

Jesse nodded and helped me back in through the window and into my room. Once we were settled and the window was closed, Jesse turned to me and said, "What was it that you needed to tell me?"

I hesitated at first. Then I looked down at my feet as I said, very quietly, "I agreed to marry Paul."

I almost thought that he had not heard me, but when I looked up, I saw that, indeed, he had heard me. He was just speechless.

"Jesse...I - I am sorry." Once I got started talking, I could not stop. "I only agreed to because he was going to help me save my mother, but then I heard that my mother is carrying a child, so there is no need to go and save her and this was before I found out that you _did_ love me and—"

He put up his hand, gesturing for me to stop talking. I closed my mouth immediately.

"Susannah, you do not need to explain anything to me. You should...you should be with someone who is alive; someone who can actually care for you. Even if...even if that means Paul Slater."

I could tell that it pained him to say that about Paul. I wanted so desperately to go back and tell Paul that I would not marry him, but it was too late now. I had to go through with it, or God knows what he would do. He may have been nice to me—most of the time, anyway—but I was not quite sure what he would do to others.

I looked up into Jesse's face, fresh tears brewing in my eyes. "Were you not listening to a word I said, Jesse? I do not want to be with him! I want to be with you!" I cried out as quietly as I could, and then I proceeded to throw my arms around his neck and sob into his shirt.

His arms immediately came around me, holding me there so I would not fall onto the floor in a crumpled heap. He whispered something to me in Spanish, the only word I was able to recognize was '_querida_', and even that I had no clue of the meaning.

I pulled away from him a few moments later, when I realized how ridiculous I was being. I was pretty much promised to another man, and here I was crying into the shirt of the man that I was so desperately and hopelessly in love with. A man that was dead. A man...that I could not introduce to my mother or any other of my family members, or even my friends...

Maybe Jesse was right. Maybe I should be with someone alive. I may not exactly be happy with the man I marry, but it would make everyone else happy, except, of course, Jesse. After all, it was really only his opinion that mattered to me.

Jesse's voice was what broke me out of my musings. "Susannah...maybe I should go. You need your sleep and I am depriving you of that."

I shook my head. "No, please. Just...just stay with me tonight. I...I don't want to be alone..."

Jesse sighed and looked out of the window, into the night. Then he looked back at me and said, "All right. But just tonight. I need to go see Father Dominic tomorrow."

I nodded and slipped into my bed, pulling the covers up around my neck and snuggling into my bed. When I felt no presence on the bed next to me a few moments later, I turned around and looked over at my window seat. Jesse was still sitting there, just looking at me.

"Aren't you going to come and lay down with me?" I whispered, indicating to the spot next to me on the bed.

He opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it again. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and attempted to speak again. "I do not think that is entirely appropriate, Susannah."

I smiled over at him. "If someone were to walk in, Jesse, all they would see is me in my bed, so you do not need to worry about that."

He attempted to smile, but failed miserably. "Its not that, _querida_. I just...do not think it is a good idea. I will stay over here. Now, go to sleep. I know you have to get up in a few hours."

Too tired to argue, I shrugged and rolled back over in my bed, my eyes closing immediately. I felt sleep claim me in a matter of a few minutes.


	15. A Proper Proposal

****

Bewitched

Chapter 14

I awoke to someone knocking on my door. I sat up straight in my bed and looked at the door. Who on earth was doing that?

"Wake up, Suze! Dad's waiting outside," came Jake's tired voice. I knew he hated getting up this early just as much as I did.

I groaned, then replied, "Okay! Let me just change!"

He grunted and I heard his footsteps as he walked away down the hall. I turned around to go to my wardrobe, but when I did, I saw that I was not alone in my room. Then I remembered I had asked Jesse to stay with me last night, and he did.

I smiled as I walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He smiled back down at me, not saying a word. Not that there really was anything to say, anyway. He leaned down and kissed me lightly, then pulled away and said, "I really must get going. Call me if you need me." And then, before I could even get a word in, he dematerialized, leaving me all alone in my room once again.

I sighed and went back over to my wardrobe, picking out my work dress and hastily put it on. Then I fumbled with my hair, putting it up with the ribbon on top of my vanity, as I ran down the stairs to meet with my step-brothers and step-father.

"Good morning, Suze," Andy greeted me. For the past week, his voice was devoid of the usual cheery-ness it held, but it had come back after the news of my mother.

I smiled at him as we walked back to the plantation, getting ready to work. "Good morning, Andy." No matter how long I have lived with this man, I still could not muster up the strength to call him 'Father', like his sons do. It just does not feel right, what with my father still hanging around somewhere. I figure he is probably watching over my mother in the dungeon-like room that they keep all of the convicted.

After work, Andy asked David and I to go to the market to get some food for supper. I agreed, but told him I wanted to go wash up first. He just nodded his head and went back to talk with his eldest sons.

Once I was finishing washing up, I put on one of my nice dresses and shoes, and went back outside. The sun was fully up now and it was bright. There was not one cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day for a walk to the market.

I smiled at David as I came down the stairs. "Ready?" he asked. I nodded and we walked out of the house and down to the market. It took about a half hour to get to the market, as usual. It was about a mile and a half away, plus the temperature was beginning to rise. I could feel the perspiration beginning to form along my hairline.

Finally we got there and bought the stuff we needed for supper. It was as David and I were leaving that we saw some people we knew—or rather, I knew. I saw them and tried to steer David and myself away from them as quickly as possible, but they saw us.

"Suze!"

I turned around and plastered a smile onto my face. "Kelly. What a pleasant surprise."

She smiled at me, but I could instantly tell that it was fake. She never liked me, and I could safely say that I returned the favor.

"What are you doing here, Suze?" she asked in that sickly-sweet voice of hers.

"Just picking up some items for supper with my brother," I answered in the same tone as she used. If anyone were to walk by and hear our conversation, they would think we were friends; but just hearing me and her...it was all so fake. So many times I have wanted to just punch her in the face, but I _do_ have some self-restraint—well, maybe not when it concerns Jesse, but that is completely understandable.

She nodded politely. "So..." she said. Now I know why she wanted to talk to me. There was some gossip going around, or something she wanted to know from me. I was so sick of her asking about my step-brother Jake. She has a major thing for him.

I raised my eyebrows. "Yes?"

She paused, not quite sure if she should continue or not. Believe me, I would have been happy if she did not continue, but, alas, she did. "What is this I hear about you and Paul?" she asked.

I seriously should have known. But...how did she find out? "What about me and Paul?" I asked cautiously.

She flicked her hair back over her shoulder as she spoke. "Well," she said, avoiding eye contact with me, "I hear a rumor that he asked you to marry him."

I heard David gasp beside me. That was something I had yet to tell my family. I looked over at him and gave him a glare; he immediately shut his mouth.

"And where did you hear this rumor, Kelly?"

For a second she looked afraid. I can understand; I can be very intimidating when I want to be, and that was one of the times that I wanted to be. "The source is unidentified," she said in a cutting tone. "So, is it true?"

"I'm not quite sure, Kelly. If the source is unidentified, then perhaps the source is wrong."

She sighed. "Fine. Debbie told me, okay? Apparently Brad overheard you talking to someone about it and he told her."

Brad? Oh, I am so going to kill him when I get home. I am serious. He will be dead.

"Well, maybe Brad should get his facts straight before he starts telling Debbie about things he does not know. No, Kelly, Paul did not ask me to marry him. Now, if you will excuse me, David and I have to be heading home." My tone was so cutting and edgy that Kelly was rendered speechless. Of course, I was lying to her. Paul did ask me to marry him, but what she does not know will not hurt her.

I grabbed David's arm and quickly dragged him away from the market place. When we were completely away from Kelly and everyone else, he turned to me and asked, in a very quiet voice, "Is it true, Suze? Did he really ask you to marry him?"

I sighed. I knew this would come up, but I was hoping he would forget about it. "David..." I sighed again. "Yes, it is true."

He bit his lip, as if he was deciding whether or not to say anything else. Then he took a deep breath and asked, "Did you say yes?"

I turned sharply and looked at him. I saw apprehension on his face. I sighed once again and mumbled, "Yes."

He was silent for a few moments, but then he said, "...but you do not love him, do you? You love someone else."

I tried not to let any of my emotions show, but it was way too difficult. Tears were started to well up in my eyes as I tried to push them back. "It would never last," I found myself whispering.

David put his hand on my shoulder and I turned to face him. "Suze, if you really love this man, then it will last. You just have to tell Paul that you changed your mind."

I smiled through my tears. I remember what it was like to be young and ignorant. I shook my head at him. "David, it is just not that simple. I agreed to something and I have to follow through with it."

He nodded. I could tell by the way he was looking at me that he really did understand what I was talking about. "But...what about this other man?" he asked quietly.

I stopped walking and stared straight ahead. "I think he will try and understand." At least, I hope that is what will happen.

David nodded in understanding. He asked no more questions on the way home.

- § -

I was surprised to see that when I got home, someone was waiting for me. It was not one of my family members, or one of my friends, but someone I really did not want to see right then. I am sure you can guess who.

"Suze," Paul greeted me as I walked into the room. He smiled brightly and stood up.

I attempted a smile, but it was not all that bright compared to Paul's. "Hi, Paul. What are you doing here?"

"I came to ask your step-father a question, actually. He said yes, if you were curious."

My eyes widened. I did not even have to ask what question it was that he asked Andy. "Y-you did?"

His grinned. "I figured it would be best to ask for his blessing before I properly proposed to you." He walked closer to me; I could actually feel his breath on my face. Of course, his breath did not smell bad, like some men I know (one of them being Brad).

Then he knelt down on one knee and produced a little box from the pocket of his cloak. "Susannah Simon," he said in a voice I had never heard him use before, "will you marry me?"

(A/N: I was not really sure when men started kneeling down to propose (or even giving rings as they do), but if it was way after this time, I'm sorry. I tried looking it up, but Google failed me.)

I just looked down at Paul. I really wanted to say no, but I could not. I had all ready agreed to it, after all. But, really, what future could Jesse and I have? He was dead and no one could see him (with the exception of Paul and Father Dominic). I loved him, but it would never work out.

So I did what I had to do. I said yes.

Paul grinned as he slipped the small band on my finger. He stood up and kissed me. Luckily there was no other people in the room at the time, or it would be highly inappropriate. I tried to kiss him back, to show him that I really wanted to marry him, but I felt too much like I was betraying Jesse, which, in all actuality, I was.

Paul pulled away and looked at me curiously. "What is wrong?" he asked softly.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I said, not too convincingly. "I think I am just ill. Maybe I should go lay down."

He nodded. "Yes, that might be best." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "I will see you tonight. Father Dominic said he wanted to speak with you."

"Oh," I said. "All right. I will see you then." He nodded again and then he left.

Now Kelly definitely had some gossip. Brad had to have known about this and he was probably going to tell Debbie. Which reminds me, I have to go talk to him.

I sighed and walked up the stairs toward the bedrooms in the house. When I got to Brad's bedroom, I knocked on the door, waiting for an answer. When I received none, I knocked again and called through the door, "Brad! What are you doing? I need to talk to you!"

Still I received no answer, so I twisted the doorknob and pushed his door open. The sight that was before me as the door swung out of view was enough to make me pass out.

Brad was on the floor, and so was Debbie. Both of them lay there, and I feared they might be dead. I went over to them and felt their necks for a pulse. Brad had one, but Debbie's was slowly diminishing.

"ANDY!" I yelled as loud as I could. I really hoped that he was in the house and not outside, or else he probably would not hear me. "_ANDY_!" I yelled again.

I looked to the window of the room and saw the last person I wanted to see then. Mary grinned evilly and said with complete malice, "I warned you," and then she disappeared.

A moment later I heard loud, fast footsteps coming towards me. "Suze?" came Andy's soothing voice. "What's wr—?"

He stopped when he saw Brad and Debbie lying on the floor, both unconscious. He turned to me quickly and said, "Go find Jake and tell him to take Dorado" (our horse) "to the doctor. We need him here as soon as possible."

I nodded and fled down the stairs. I found Jake out by the stable and told him what happened and he was on that horse in a heartbeat, riding toward the doctor's home.

Completely distressed, I walked up to the front of our house and slumped against the door. Today was just a complete mess.

As much as I disliked Brad and Debbie, I hoped that they would be all right. I did not want them to die because of me and my curse.


	16. Choices

****

Bewitched

Chapter 15

Jake came back with the doctor about ten minutes later. I just looked at them as they walked through the front door and then went up the stairs to go see what happened.

Everything else happened in a blur. Jake and Andy taking Debbie's body out of the house, setting it on the carriage that someone else had brought over; Debbie's parents crying as they came over to our house after they heard the news; various people coming in and out of our home to see what the commotion was.

None of it really mattered. Not to me. Frankly, I should have suspected something like that would happen. Mary was a revenge-seeking ghost and would stop at nothing, at least until she got her life back or destroyed everything she possibly could. She was all ready destroying my life as it was. It was only a matter of time before people would start blaming me for what happened, and then I would be right next to my mother in the dungeon. There would be absolutely nothing I could do about it, either. Mary had all ready done the damage.

I felt a tinkling of materialization beside me as I saw them taking Debbie's body away. I thought it was Jesse, coming to see what was happening, but when I looked to my side, I saw that it was my father. It was about time he visited me again.

"Suze," came his soft voice as I felt tears leaking out of my eyes again. "None of this is your fault, Susannah. You could not have prevented this from happening, honey."

I just looked at him with pity. He thought I could not have prevented this, when I really could have. If I had not been so busy moping about Jesse, I could have mediated Mary all ready, and Debbie would still be alive and breathing.

I knew, when I went to see Father Dominic tonight, that an exorcism was in order. It had to be done. Mary had to be exorcized before she had a chance to kill any more people, or ruin my life even more.

"Father," I began to say, but stopped. I was not quite sure how to word what I was going to say. I took a deep breath and started again. "Father, I could have prevented this from happening. I should have exorcized her from the start."

My father sat down next to me, then put his hand on my shoulder. "Suzie, do not blame yourself. There are two other mediators in this village. If you insist on thinking this is your fault, then its just as much their fault as it is yours."

"But she came to me, not them. I should have been the one to take care of it."

My father just simply shook his head and dematerialized, leaving me to think about what he just said. Maybe...maybe it was not entirely my fault.

- § -

It was dark a couple of hours later. Brad was still unconscious, but his breathing was not as shallow as it was before. The doctor said he should be okay by tomorrow morning.

When everything had died down, Andy came to talk to me. It was rare that he actually sought me out to talk to me; he tried to give me my own space, which I was very thankful for.

I was sitting on my bed in my room, talking with Jesse. He had come as soon as he heard what had happened. He was with me ever since. But I stopped talking when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Jesse was silent too, even if he did not need to be, and he was watching me as I stared at my bedroom door.

There was a knock at the door a second later and Andy's voice came through it. "Suze, do you mind if I come in?" he asked.

I smiled a little to myself. "No, come in."

He did and he smiled at me. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said sort of jokingly. Andy was just that kind of guy. He could make a joke after something terrible has happened, to try and lighten the mood.

I smiled back. "No. I was just thinking, is all."

"About what?" he asked as he went to go sit on my window seat.

"Just about everything that has been going on." Andy nodded in agreement. "Do you think maybe we're being punished for something we did in our past lives?" I asked cautiously. I know it was thought of as barbaric to think of 'past lives' and things like that, but I honestly did believe it.

Andy seemed to consider this. "I'm not sure, Suze. No matter how horrible someone was in their past life, I still do not think they deserve this."

I nodded in agreement. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jesse smile. "Goodbye, Susannah. I shall see you later," and he dematerialized.

I brought my attention back to Andy. "Maybe you are right," I said.

Andy smiled a little at me, then he brought up the subject that I was dreading. "So, that Paul fellow asked you to marry him?" he asked lightly.

I took a deep breath and murmured, "Yes, he did."

Andy nodded politely. "And what did you say?" I know he did not mean to pry, but since my mother was not exactly here at the moment, it was his job to look after me.

"I said yes."

He looked at me for a few moments, not saying a word. Then he sighed and said, "But you don't want to marry him, do you?"

What is it with them guessing this? First David, now Andy. Well...I guess it kind of shows. I mean, if Jesse was alive and asked me to marry him, I would be ecstatic.

"No."

"Suze, you do not have to marry the first man that asks you, especially if it is not the man you want to marry. Yes, you are the right age to marry, but you do not have to yet."

I sighed heavily. "Andy...there is more to it than meets the eye. Yes, he is not the man I want to marry, but I cannot marry the man that I wish to."

Andy seemed confused. "Why ever not?"

I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath. "It is too complicated to explain. I just cannot marry him and he knows that. However, I know Paul will take care of me, even if I do not love him."

A smile seemed to form on Andy's face. "You are one of a kind, Suze." He put his hand down on the seat and pushed himself up off of it, then walked to the door to go out.

"Andy," I said. He turned back around and looked at me expectantly. "Do...do you think I'm making the right decision?"

"Susannah, its only wrong if you think it is."

"But I do not _know_ if it is or not."

He sighed. "I would say...follow your heart."

Follow my heart? But that will only result in me getting hurt. Maybe I was just not meant to be happy.

- § -

That night, while I was sleeping, Jesse came to visit me. Of course, I was still sleeping, but his mere presence just made me more alive, so I woke up. He just smiled at me and told me to go back to sleep, but of course I did not listen to him. I pulled my covers back and got up out of bed, walking over to him and putting my arms around his neck. He smiled down at me as he kissed me tenderly on the lips, slightly biting my lip on the process, which just made me go crazy.

He pulled away a couple minutes later, realizing that even if he did not need to breathe, I did. We kissed a little more after that, but Jesse decided that it would be best just to sit down and talk a little bit. I argued a little, but then realized that he was right. I did need to talk to someone about what happened today. Yes, I talked to Andy all ready, but it was nothing like talking to Jesse.

So we talked about the goings-on in the village. Everything from the hangings to what had just happened earlier that day.

Jesse suddenly got a little nervous when it came to talking about what happened to Brad and Debbie. So, being curious, I asked him. He brushed it off at first, saying he was fine and that everything was okay, but I knew he was lying.

So he finally gave in and told me. "Susannah..." he sighed. "I am afraid something might happen to you. I...I went over to the council today and I was listening to what some of the judges were saying. They think...someone said something to them and they think you killed Deborah."

I blinked and opened my mouth in shock. But then I closed my mouth realizing that I should have known that was coming.

"Do you know who?"

He ran his hand through his dark, crisp hair. "They did not mention a name, but I heard them say that the family members were distraught and one of Deborah's friends said you did it, that you had a grudge against her."

Only one name came to mind then.

Kelly Prescott.

"_Querida_," he said, suddenly taking my hands in his. "I think it would be best if you leave. Go to Father Dominic and—"

But I did not hear the rest, for I heard a loud thud from downstairs, indicating that either something very heavy was dropped, or someone broke the door down. I was going for the latter.

Jesse's eyes widened and he tried to usher me out onto the roof to escape somehow, but I would not have enough time. They were all ready in the house. It would be worse if they saw me trying to escape.

Not a minute later, I heard loud footsteps and then my door being thrown open. I recognized one of the judges from the trials and the jailer that took my mother away.

Instantly my heart started beating erratically. It was so loud, I thought that they would surely hear it.

They were saying something to me, but all I could hear was Jesse's voice from behind me as they took me away. "Do not lose faith, Susannah. Everything will turn out all right."

But I was not sure whether to believe him or not.


	17. Encounters

****

Bewitched

Chapter 16

It is funny how there are some things that you remember in life and some things that you do not. For instance, I do not remember anything from when I was being taken away, to the time when I was thrown in the dungeon. I do not remember the carriage ride, being bound to it, or Jesse whispering into my ear the entire time, telling me that everything would be all right. The only way I know that those things happened is because he told me himself, and Jesse would never lie.

Jesse sat with me in the dirty dungeon-like room that I was currently in. He had his arms wrapped around me and would now and then lean down and kiss my hair, whispering things I did not understand into my ear.

I did not have to worry about anyone looking at me strangely for leaning against what looked like nothing. It was very dark in that room, so the other people that happened to be in there could not really see me, much less me leaning against thin air. Even so, I probably would not care one way or another.

I saw my mother in there, too. However, she did not know I was in there, and I was not about to alert her of that fact. If she saw me on her own, that was one thing, but I was not going to purposely let her know that I was there. I did not want her worrying about me being executed while she had to sit there until she "delivered". I admit, I was curious as to whether she _was_ actually pregnant, but practicality won over curiosity in my mind. She would see me in the morning, and then I would have to explain, unfortunately.

Jesse kept telling me that everything would be all right. I really wanted to believe him, but after seeing various people that I knew being hanged, I was not quite sure that everything would be all right in the end. I knew that Jesse would never lie to me, but I just did not believe him. Believe me, I desperately _wanted_ to, but my mind was in overdrive and the thought of coming out of this alive was outrageous.

But maybe then I would be able to be with Jesse.

I shifted a little, to make myself more comfortable against Jesse. He moved with me, so my head was lying on his chest and my one arm was sprawled across his stomach. Obviously I could see him with the glow that he was emanating, and he could see me. However, I knew no one could see me with the dark, even with that strange glow, because no one else could see the glow, or the person producing it. I was, at that moment, very thankful for that.

Slowly my eyelids began to close, and I was drifting into a sleep. Maybe not a peaceful one, but it was still sleep. I heard Jesse whisper into my ear, "_Te amo, querida_," before I fell asleep.

- § -

When I awoke, due to the sunlight entering the only window that was in the place, I noticed that everyone else—there were five other women in there and one man—was still sleeping, including my mother. I made the best of that by moving as far away from her as possible. Even though I knew she would see me at some point, I would rather it not be then. I was not sure if I could handle the look on her face when she saw that her daughter was in there with her—and could not be saved.

Jesse was still with me. Well, its not as if I thought he would leave, or anything. I was just extremely glad that I had someone there with me, even if noone else could see him—although, now that I think about it, that might be a good thing, because then he would not be dying along with me.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was awake yet, I leaned over to Jesse and kissed him. I felt him smile into the kiss, and I guess it was contagious, because I smiled, too. I realized that we could not do much, less anyone in the room should wake up. Finding a girl kissing thin air would definitely make me seem like I should be hanged.

Just as I pulled away from Jesse, I heard, rather than saw, the door to the dungeon being opened. I turned around and saw a rather burly man with a large cloak on. Another man that looked almost exactly like him came up behind.

That was when the other victims awoke. They all looked around groggily, then focused on the men at the door. That was when they—the men—dropped three loaves of bread on the ground, along with two rather large pitchers of water—they set them on the ground, so as to not break them. And then they turned around and slammed the door after them, and that was it.

The six other people in there—with the exception of Jesse—looked at the food hungrily. It seemed as if they had not eaten in days—and who knows, that is probably what happened. However, I just looked away. I was neither hungry, nor thirsty. I would rather die of hunger and dehydration than be hanged.

Jesse, seeing this, sighed and said, "Susannah, you must eat. Trust me, you will survive this, _querida_."

I looked into his eyes, which were full of worry and...was that fear? He was scared. For me.

I was about to say something, then I realized I was not alone with him. Jesse understood this and murmured, "Trust me, _querida_. I will find you a way out of this."

I felt tears pricking the back of my eyes as I nodded my head. I willed myself not to cry. Not now. And it seems as if my will was good enough, because the tears slowly dissipated.

That was when I turned my head and saw my mother looking at me. She dropped the bread that was in her hand and her blue eyes widened. I just stared right back at her, not daring to say a word.

Then she spoke. "Su...Suzie?" Her voice cracked when she said my name. Normally I would get a little irritated when someone called me that, but this was not a normal situation.

I nodded, and just like that, the tears came back. They leaked out my eyes and dripped down my cheeks. I wanted to go over to her and hug her, but my body just simply would not budge from that spot.

I guess my mother understood this, because she stood up and walked over to me, sitting back down right next to me. She took my hands in hers and whispered, her voice trembling, "What happened?"

Then Jesse whispered in my ear, "I will come back in a little while," but before he could leave, I turned my head and shook it, indicating that I wanted him to stay. He just looked at me and nodded, sitting back down beside me.

I turned my head back the other way. If my mother thought that was strange, she did not let on. Her eyes were pleading with me to tell her what had happened. So I took a deep breath and told her everything that happened. Well, not _everything_. Not the fact that a _ghost_ had killed Debbie, but I told her that someone killed Debbie and injured Brad, and they blamed me for it, since I was the one that found them. And I guess the fact that someone—Kelly Prescott—told them that I was the one that killed Debbie did not help me either.

My mother started crying then. "Oh, Suzie. I cannot...why did this happen?" she asked to noone in particular.

I shook my head and said quietly, "I do not know." I wanted to add that I would get out of here somewhere, but then that would raise some questions that I did not want to answer.

She then pulled me into a hug as I tried to suppress more tears. I hugged her back and said into her shoulder, "I'm sorry, Mother." She pulled me back and looked at me with a tear-stained face.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Susannah. This is not your fault," she said with the utmost sincerity.

However, I knew she was wrong, as was my father. This was my fault. Maybe not entirely, but it still was.

She hugged me once again and kissed my forehead tenderly. "Have faith, Suzie," she said. And just like Jesse, I was not sure whether to believe that. Having faith never saved me in the past. So what could it do for me now?

- § -

I was in there for two days before I was given a trial. Five of the people that were in there were all ready hanged. I tried not to feel an remorse, but it was hard. While I barely knew those people, I still had some sort of connection with them. They were being put through the same thing as me.

I tried to ignore everything around me as I was being taken to the trial. Jesse was by my side every step of the way, except for when I was in the room, with all of those people looking at me. Some sneering, some looking at me with pity.

I did not know why Jesse left. It upset me greatly that he left when I really needed him, but I knew there had to be a proper explanation for it. There _had_ to be.

Jesse returned only a few minutes later, but his absence has still upset me. He saw this and whispered soothingly into my ear that everything would be all right. But how could they? I was up here all ready, one step away from the gallows. I could not escape this, and he knew it.

The main judge quieted everyone in the room. I remembered him. He was one of Andy's friends; one of them men that helped build our house, and now he was condemning me—and had all ready condemned my mother. What a friend he is.

"Now," he started. He sat up straighter in his chair at the "decision" table, where many other important figures in the village were also sitting. "I understand that you, Susannah, found Deborah and your brother Bradley in your brother's room."

He really does not waste any time with this. I only hoped that Mary did not turn up. I hoped that Father Dominic and Paul had exorcized her and her husband all ready, but I highly doubted it.

I nodded, to show some respect, at least.

He continued. "As you may know, Deborah was killed. Noone else was near that room at any time prior to her death except for you. Can you give me any reason not to believe that you were the one who had killed her?"

My eyes widened. I did not know what to say. What _could_ I say? No matter what came out of my mouth, they would not change their mind in thinking that I killed Debbie.

I took a deep breath before I answered him. "I had just come home from the market with my youngest step-brother, and we had been there all day. When we came home, a friend was waiting for me in our home, and he asked me a question. It was as he left that I went to go ask Bradley something and I found them like that."

The judge seemed to digest this. "Well," he said, "it seems as if you could not possibly have killed her. However, we have someone here who thinks otherwise." He turned from me to someone in the crowd. "Please come forward, Miss Prescott."

I never thought I was capable of hating anyone before, but right then I hated her so much. I loathed her to the point where I wanted her dead.

Kelly stood and came forward. Her dress hugged her tiny figure as she strode forward. She smirked when she looked over at me and caught my eye. I really just wanted to go over and punch her right then.

"Now, Kelly, I realize you have some vital information for us."

Kelly nodded and put on an innocent face. "Yes, sir. I do. I believe that Susannah did kill Debbie. I know she never really liked me, and since Debbie was my closest friend, she killed her to make me feel bad."

It was true that I never really liked Kelly. However, I would not kill her friend to make her feel bad. If I had to kill anyone, it would be her.

Kelly continued talking; she could not keep her mouth shut. "Suze, you said before that a friend came to visit you?" she asked all innocently. She knew who was there. She was just making me say it. Seeing that I was not going to reply, she said, "Who was this friend?"

I desperately did not want to answer that. For one, no one knew about the marriage but Paul, my family and me. Jesse did not even know that Paul had come over the previous day. Looking out at the audience, I noticed that Paul was not even present.

That just upset me even more. That he did not even show up at my trial.

"Answer the question, Miss Simon," the judge said sternly.

So I did. "Paul Slater," I said.

I heard a couple of people gasp, but it is not like it was really that important.

Kelly continued with her interrogation. "And why was Mr. Slater there, Susannah?"

I let out a huge breath and said, "He asked me to marry him."

A couple more gasps.

Kelly turned to the judge and cried, "See? I told you Judge Jacoby. She asked her to marry him! But I know he wanted to ask me! She bewitched him so he would ask her to marry him instead of me! She's a witch!"

My eyes widened. What? I was about to say something, but a hand suddenly came over my mouth, so I could not say anything. It was Jesse, I soon noticed. "It would be best for you to not say a word, unless asked," he said to me.

Everything was chaotic after Kelly's announcement.

Paul came in then, as if from nowhere, and strode up to the front, near Kelly. "Judge Jacoby, this is not true. I have not been bewitched by Susannah. I asked her to marry me because I love her, not because I was under a spell."

Then Kelly opened her bug mouth again. "No! See, she's doing it, Sir! She's making him say that!"

"She is not—!"

But just as he was about to say more, a book flew out of nowhere and hit Kelly right in the head. She was unconscious I could tell, and all eyes turned to me. That was when I saw Mary out of the corner of my eye, grinning maliciously. "I told you I would be back," she said, and then disappeared.

Some people rushed over to see if Kelly was okay, but the rest looked at me and stared. "Witch!" one person cried, then everyone else followed after.

Paul looked at me with a certain sadness in his eyes. _I'm sorry_, he mouthed to me, and he turned to leave. But just as he was about to go out the door, he turned back around and said, out loud this time, "Use what I taught you." And then I could see him no more.

What was he talking about? Taught me what? What did he ever teach m—

Shifting. I could shift out of there. But I tried it, right then and there, and I could not do it. It was too hard.

I told myself not to cry. Jesse was right, everything would turn out all right, somehow.

But how?

The judges sent some people to go get the gallows ready for the hanging. But just as I was being dragged out of the room, the people the judges sent came back, looking hassled.

"The nooses are missing," one of them said.

The judges eyes widened. "ALL of them?" he inquired.

They all nodded. "All of them," the same man said.


	18. For Him

****

Bewitched

Chapter 17

Instead of being thrown back in the dungeon, I was put in a separate room. There were no windows, no place where light could stream in—what was left of it, anyway.

At least I was alone. Jesse was there with me, holding me. He was talking to me, telling me that it was him who disposed of the nooses, so I would not be hanged.

But what was the point? They would just get more and hang me. He could not keep disposing of them forever.

We must have been in that room for a few hours. I was starting to get weary. I was tired, but I did not want to sleep. I had to think of a way out of this. I did not want to die, even if I did want to be with Jesse.

That was when Jesse spoke up. "Susannah..." he said. I turned my head and looked at him questioningly. "What was Paul talking about before?" he asked softly.

I closed my eyes and leaned back against him again. If Jesse had asked me about what happened with Paul beforehand, I probably would not want to tell him, but now it did not really matter. So I told Jesse everything that happened with Paul and what he showed me.

When I was finished, Jesse was silent. Then all of a sudden he practically shoved me off of him and stood up. He looked down at me with a certain fire in his eyes. Not an angry fire, just a fire. I do not really know. It is hard to explain.

"_Querida_," he said gently, although it sounded like he was trying really hard not to let whatever he wanted to say out yet. "This...whatever Paul taught you...if you could just remember how to do it, you could get out of here. You could—what was that word? Shift?—yes, you could shift out of here. Shift to a place that you know of and get out of here. You can go to Father Dominic to get some provisions and money, and then you could leave before the sun rises, before they find you missing."

He was right. I knew he was. But it just was not that simple. I _tried_ to shift, but I could not do it. It takes a lot of strength and that I really did not have, especially then.

Jesse saw the look on my face and sighed. He kneeled in front of me and took my hands in his. "_Querida_," he said again. "If you will not do it for yourself, then please—_please_—do it for me. I cannot stand by and see you die." His voice cracked on the word 'die'. His eyes were full of such sorrow, and I even saw tears brimming his eyes.

Seeing Jesse in this state was a shock to me. So I nodded. _For him_. I would try as hard as I could. _For him_.

Jesse, realizing that I was going to try, smiled and kissed me. "Thank you, _querida_."

I nodded again and stood up. I tried to remember everything that Paul taught me. Granted, it was not much, but he said he told me everything.

Think of the place you want to shift to. The sound, the smell, the sight, every possible sense you can use. And then you will be there.

So that was what I did. I thought of the sound, smell, and sight of the forest that was near the chapel. The one that Paul and I went to when he kissed me. The one with the beautiful sunset.

But when I opened my eyes again, I was still in that same room.

I tried not to get impatient. So I did it again. And again. And then again.

I opened my eyes for the fourth time and groaned. How hard could this really be?

Jesse saw my frustration and came over to me, putting his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into him. We just stood there for a few moments, then he let go of me and said, "Just try again, _querida_. Please."

I nodded and tried again. This was for Jesse, I reminded myself. I cannot let him down.

The beautiful sunset that Paul and I saw...the smell of pine trees and orchids...birds chirping in the trees and the water flowing in the creek...the lake water coming up against the rocks...

I opened my eyes for the last time and gasped. I was...I was there. I was really there.

I did it.

And I looked to my side and saw Jesse looking at me with a grin. I was not quite sure how he knew where I was thinking of, but it did not matter to me then. All that mattered was that I was there. I had shifted.

And now I had to get as far away from this village as possible before the sun rose.

Jesse's grin faded. I guess he realized what I had just escaped from, and what I had to do now. He nodded at me, indicating that we should go to Father Dominic. Now if only I could shift again...

I opened my eyes and I was at the back of the chapel. I figured just showing up in the middle of the chapel would not be a very good idea, but at least Jesse could go check to see if there was anyone else in there, or just tell Father Dominic where I was.

I guess Jesse did the latter, because a few moments later, the back door of the chapel opened and Father Dominic came out. He looked around for a moment—it was very dark out by then, so it was quite hard to see—but then his blue eyes fixed on me and I saw him smile.

He rushed over to me and enveloped me in a hug. For as long as I have lived in this village, I cannot remember Father Dominic ever hugging me, so it was quite a shock to me. But I also welcomed it. It showed me how much that man actually cared for me, and how much he did not want me dead.

"Susannah," he whispered to me when he released me from his grasp, "you must get out of here before they find you gone."

I nodded. I knew this, of course. "I know, Father, but I...well, I need some money...I hate to ask, but—"

Father Dominic shushed me. "Of course, child," he said and rushed back inside. Moments later he returned with a fairly small bag—it could fit in the palm of my hand.

"This should last you a couple of weeks, for food and possibly some clothing." I opened the bag up and saw some gold and silver coins. That was all I needed to see.

Father Dominic turned to Jesse, who was still standing next to me, and said, "I trust you will take good care of her, Jesse. She needs you now more than ever."

Jesse nodded. "Of course, _Padre_. I would never abandon her."

We said our last goodbyes to Father Dominic and headed off. Luck was in our hands that night, as we made our way out of the village and into the next one.

Also, I knew who I could go to for help.

- § -

Gina was still in the other town, Beverly, with her father. Last I heard from her, her father was slowly recovering and was likely to survive. She, however, had to stay there with him until he made a full recovery. If I could trust anyone, it would be her (besides Jesse, of course).

Jesse advised me to stay hidden, even if I was far away from my own village. "Its better to be safe than sorry," he said gently. But I did not know where Gina was in this town, or even where her father was, so how could I stay hidden? I needed to find them.

With much protesting on my part, Jesse finally relented and let me go talk to someone. However, I had keep my hair down and my cloak tightly around me at all times, lest anyone should see me and recognize me. I was not too afraid of anyone spotting me. No one would find out I was gone until dawn, and I had a good twelve hours' head start.

Jesse and I made our way into the church in Beverly. It was fairly larger than the chapel back in Andover, but not nearly as neat as Father Dominic kept it.

I smiled politely as I made my way down the aisle, Jesse at my side. The priest in the front looked up and saw me. He smiled as I walked toward him and said hello.

"Hello," I said back when I reached him.

"What can I help you with, child?" he asked politely.

"I was actually wondering if you knew where I could find William Augustin," I said. William was Gina's father, and if I could find him, that would mean that I had found Gina, too.

The priest knitted his eyebrows together, as if he was thinking about it. A second later, he snapped his fingers and said, "Is he the man that was brought here for surgery?"

I nodded and said, "Yes."

The priest nodded again and said, "Then yes, I do know where you can find him. He's..." and he proceeded to tell me where I could find Mr. Augustin.

When he was finished I thanked him and Jesse and I walked out together.

Mr. Augustin was in a cottage about a half hour away (walking) from the church. I knocked on the door of the cottage when we arrived. A servant, it looked like, answered the door. But instead of asking for Mr. Augustin, I asked for Gina.

The servant shook her head when I asked for Gina. "I am sorry, madam, but Miss Augustin is not here at the moment. She went to the market with Mr. Meyer."

I asked her how long ago it was that she left and the servant said about twenty minutes ago. "And how far away is this market?" I asked. I knew I was prodding, and the servant would probably become suspicious, but I had to. I needed to find Gina.

"About twenty five minutes, walking." Well that was shorter walking than I had to do when I had to go to the market.

Just as I was about to leave, with a 'thank you' to the servant, I heard a man say, "Who is there, Melinda?"

A second later, Mr. Augustin showed up at the door. He squinted at me, as if he could not really see me at all. Then I realized he could not really see very well close up. However, he seemed to recognize me a moment later, if the, "Suze?" that came out of his mouth was any indication.

I smiled politely. "Hello, Mr. Augustin. I was actually seeing if Gina was here—"

He smiled. "What are you doing here, Susannah? You live in—"

I cut him off. I know it was disrespectful, but I could not let anyone else know that I was not from around here. "I know. I just came to visit Gina. How are you doing, though, Sir? Are you feeling well?"

My attempt to change the subject was obvious to me, but Mr. Augustin did not seem to notice. "I am feeling better, dear. Although it hurts quite a bit to stand. I probably should go lie down."

"Oh! I'm so sorry to be keeping you like this—"

"Nonsense," he said. "Come in. Melinda will make you a cup of tea."

"I really should—"

But I could not finish my sentence. He practically pulled me inside the cottage. If it were anyone else, I probably would be alarmed, but I have known this man since I was a little girl, so I was not really fazed.

He told me to sit down in one of the chairs in the room, while Melinda went to go get me a cup of tea. Jesse walked up behind me and sat down next to me after I sat down. I must have looked a little uneasy, since he took my hand in his and squeezed it affectionately. I gave him a little smile of my own as he smiled encouragingly at me.

A moment later Melinda came back with the tea. She scurried out of the room as soon as I took the cup from her. Mr. Augustin sat down in a large armchair across from where I was sitting and smiled at me.

"So, what is it you're _really_ doing here, Susannah?" he asked. I was about to tell him that I was only here to visit Gina, but he just said, "You were never very good at lying, dear. Just tell me. I can keep a secret."

I debated on telling him the truth, but in the end, I decided not to. I may have known this man since I was young, but if this experience has taught he anything, it is to not trust anyone. I know that sounds a little...negative, but I cannot afford to lose anything else—not that I _have_ anything else to lose.

So I just told him that I had been through quite an ordeal and I needed someone who I could trust. Mr. Augustin either saw that I did not want to talk about it, or was just disinterested, since he did not ask any further questions. He offered to let me stay there as long as I needed and told me he would not tell anyone about me being there. I thanked him more times than I could say.

While waiting for Gina to return, I talked with Mr. Augustin. He asked about my mother and Andy. I told them they were doing all right. I knew it would not be such a good idea to tell him the truth about my mother. I felt bad lying to him, but I had to do it.

It was as he was telling me about his surgery that Gina came back. I was grateful for that, too, since I did not want to hear all the gory details of his surgery.

Gina's hazel eyes widened when she came in through the door and saw me sitting on the chair. There was a young man coming up behind her, most likely this 'Mr. Meyer'.

"Oh my—Suze?"


	19. Madame Zara

**_Bewitched_ **

Chapter 18

I looked at my best friend. She looked different than the last time I had seen her. Her hair was shorter, skin darker, and there was a certain light in her eyes that I never really saw when she was in Andover with me.

"Hi, Gina," I said, trying to keep my voice from wavering. It was strange; I was happy to see her, but I was very, very nervous.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked incredulously. "This is _Beverly_, Suze."

The young man behind her came into view then. He stood next to Gina and looked at me blankly, then turned to Gina and said, "I must get going, but I will see you tomorrow?"

Gina nodded and smiled at him as he turned to leave. Once he was out of view, she turned to me, still in shock. "I - I just...I cannot believe that you are here..."

I attempted a smile. "Neither can I." My smiled faltered and I sighed. "Can I...can I talk to you somewhere alone?" I asked.

She looked at her father, who was pretending to not be listening to our conversation. He looked up when she looked his way and shrugged. Gina then looked back at me and nodded, grabbing my arm and dragging me off to another part of the cottage. We did not really go that far, since the house was quite tiny. But Gina assured me that no one would overhear us (except for Jesse, of course, who was still with me, but Gina did not need to know that).

"What is it, Suze?" she asked once the door was closed behind her.

I sighed and sunk down on—what I assumed was—her bed. She sat down next to me and looked at me expectantly. I sighed again, then decided to answer her. "Something...something awful has happened, Gina. I came here to seek help, and I knew that you were the only one that could truly help me."

Her eyes searched mine as she asked, "What? What has happened?"

So I told her. About everything, from Paul asking me to marry him, my mom being accused, to _me_ being accused, and escaping. By the time I was finished, her mouth was hanging open in shock. It seemed like she could not say anything.

"Please say something," I begged her. "This whole thing...its been a nightmare."

She nodded her head, her curls bouncing up and down, then bit her lip, as if she was not sure she should say something. Then she sighed and said, "How...how did you escape, Suze? I mean, its not exactly _easy_, you know."

I laughed despite the tension suddenly growing in the room. I looked away from her as I answered her question with one of my own. "Do you remember when we were younger and all those weird things kept happening around me? Like books would fall and things would break and no one was doing it?"

Gina nodded. "Yes...but what does that have anything to do with—"

"There is an explanation for why those things kept happening, Gina. This may come as a shock to you, but...well, I can see ghosts. I do not really expect you to believe me, but I at least expect you to trust me with this. I—"

She interrupted me with, "So that's..." she trailed off. I had no clue what she was going to say, but she quickly interrupted my confusion with, "that explains a lot, actually. Suze, why didn't you tell me this earlier? Of course I believe you! You would never lie about something like that."

I bit my lip. "Well...I just thought you wouldn't believe me. I know many people would not."

She smiled and suddenly pulled me into a hug. "Suze, you are my best friend. Of course I believe you. I admit, it seems a little...far-fetched, but it would explain a lot."

"Thank you so much, Gina. You have no idea how much this means to me," I said into her shoulder.

She pulled away and looked at me with a slight smile. "So, what is it you need? A place to stay?" she asked gingerly.

"Well, yes."

Jesse stirred from the corner of the room where he had been standing. "Susannah, it might not be wise to stay here. Some people have all ready seen you, and while they might be nice people, you cannot completely trust them."

As if Gina heard him, she got up off the bed and said to me, "I would love for you to stay here, but it might not be best. There is this woman that is a friend of my father. She would most likely let you stay with her. She's very nice and a little strange, but I'm sure you would get along with her well."

I just blinked. She was talking so fast. I heard what she said, but just barely.

Jesse was chuckling in his little corner. "I think you have some competition, Susannah," he said in amusement. I sent him a glare and he went quiet; however, he was still laughing quietly.

Gina kept talking to me, telling me about this woman. Apparently her father had done this woman a favor, so she owed him, anyway. Her name was Madame Zara and she lived a little ways off. Gina said she had only been there once and it was about half a days walk, but she would take me there tomorrow morning with her friend Jason (who I assumed was 'Mr. Meyer').

Jesse seemed content with all of it. He did not protest once when Gina was talking, except to comment on how fast she was talking. I swear, sometimes men can be so immature.

- § -

Apparently Gina and this Jason guy were closer than I thought. While they did not really show signs of affection, they certainly looked at each other enough. It was as if they could not keep their eyes off each other. I almost felt bad for Jake, my eldest step-brother, since I knew he fancied Gina. I knew she liked Jake, too, but nothing ever really happened between them.

I thought Jason was a nice person, but I did not really think he was right for Gina. I know its ultimately her choice who she wants to be with, but I really felt that she would be better with Jake, even if he is my step-brother. He has done nothing but care for her.

I just wish Gina would realize that.

Jason surprised us early that morning with horses. He said his father would not mind if we borrowed a couple horses for the day, that he had many to spare. That was when I realized _why_ Gina liked him. Not only was he extremely good-looking, but he was wealthy.

Gina and Jason rode together on Dorado, a brownish horse who was very friendly, but he was _huge_, and I rode on Helena, an all white mare with a black tail and mane. I swear, she was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen.

Jesse was laughing at my expression when I first saw her. He thought it was because I did not know how to ride a horse, but it was really because I had never seen an animal as beautiful and gracious as Helena. I instantly fell in love with her. Jesse soon realized what my awed expression was really for and said, "Yes, she is rather beautiful, but she is nothing like you, _querida._" I blushed when he said that, and I smiled, abashed.

Jesse rode the horse with me. I sat in front of him and he held my hands, which were holding the reins. I knew how to ride a horse, but Jesse, I'm sure, knew better, so I let him do it. But I had to make sure it did not look like an unseen force was directing the horse. That would surely raise unwanted questions.

(A/N: As you can probably tell by now, I'm not too good with historical facts. I don't know if they used reins back then. Probably not, but just go along with it, please?)

Judging by where the sun was when we arrived at Madame Zara's house, it was around nine o'clock in the morning. So we must have ridden about three hours. Well, it was better than walking for nearly eight hours.

Jesse helped me off the horse after he hopped down. Luckily Gina and Jason were not looking my way when he did so, or it would have looked a little odd. Even though Gina knew about my ability now, it would still be kind of shocking to her. I did not want to give her a heart attack, or something of the sort.

Jason, trying to be a gentleman, offered to tie up the horses. I agreed with a smile, since I did not want Jesse to do it while Jason was looking, and I really would not do a very good job of it. So Jason tied the horses up to a poorly built wooden fence, and then we all walked up toward Madame Zara's home, which was atop a hill. I thanked God that it was not a very steep one, because, knowing myself, I would probably trip and fall and start rolling back down the hill.

When we reached the door of the house—finally—Gina reached out a hand to knock on the door. But just before her hand hit the wood, the door swung open, startling all of us. It was very peculiar, given that there were no windows of any sort adorning the front of the house—also very odd—so how she could have known we were there was a complete mystery to me.

The woman that opened the door—Madame Zara, I presume—was a very full, pale woman. She was a little taller than me and had raven black hair with bright blue sparkling eyes. When her eyes landed on me, she smiled broadly.

"Welcome," she finally said. And then she just walked away into her house without another word. Assuming she wanted us to follow her, we all walked in, hesitantly, behind her.

The inside was nothing like what I would have expected. It was nothing like I had ever seen before. It is quite hard to describe, but the best I can do is to say that it was...cluttered. There were little knick-knacks everywhere, things that I could not even identify. The one main thing that I remember is a portrait of a man hanging on the wall. He was young, around Jesse's age (when he was alive), had light brown hair and the most intriguing green eyes I had ever seen. Whoever painted the picture had captured that aspect very well.

I could tell Jesse was shocked by the state of the house. It was strange for me. I was not shocked at all, nor discomforted by it. I felt...well, at home there. Finally I have met someone who does not care about appearance or organization like everyone in Andover does. I barely even knew this woman and I was all ready beginning to like her.

We followed her into a room in the back of the house. Strangely, the house seemed bigger from the inside, seemed as if there were more rooms than the house could hold from the outside. She suddenly stopped in the room and turned to face the three of us (obviously she could not see Jesse).

"Now, I remember you, Gina. However, I am not acquainted with your two friends here." Her voice was very calm and collected. It was as if she took a lot of care to form the sentences and words she spoke.

Gina smiled a little and replied, "This is my friend, Suze," she pointed to me and then at Jason, "and this is Jason. Suze needs a place to stay for a little while. I figured since you owed my father a favor that maybe you could take her in for as long as she needed."

Madame Zara nodded and looked at me as if to confirm what Gina had just said. She smiled a little to herself when her eyes landed on me, then she turned her attention back to Gina.

"It would be my pleasure to house Susannah. Is there anything else you need from me?" she asked in a calm voice.

Gina exchanged a look with Jason and then shook her head at Madame Zara. "No, that is all. Are you sure this is all right?"

Madame Zara only smiled. "Of course it is. It is as you said, I owe your father a favor. Now, if that is all..."

Gina nodded. "Of course. Well, thank you, very much." Gina seemed to hesitate for a moment. She looked at me and I knew what she was thinking.

"It is all right. Go. I am fine here."

"You are sure?" she asked cautiously, pulling me aside so it was just me and her and no one else listening in. Well, except Jesse, of course. He seemed like he did not want to leave me side no matter what. And it was not really like he had anything else better to do, anyway.

I smiled to reassure her. "Absolutely."

She hesitated again, then sighed. "I will come back in a week to see how everything is going, okay?"

"Gina, you don't need to check up on me. I will be fine."

She sighed again. "I know. I just worry about you sometimes. You have no idea what was going through my head when I saw you at my house."

"I know. And I am very sorry about that. One day, when this all passes over, I will explain _everything_ to you, all right? But I cannot right now. Its too risky."

She nodded her head slowly. "Okay. Just...don't get into any more trouble, okay? I do not know what I would do if I lost you."

I smiled. "Me too."

Jesse, who was quiet up until then, said, "And me."

I almost looked at him to give him a smile, but then I remembered that Gina could not see him.

"Before you go, Gina, I have to ask you something."

She nodded, so I continued. "Are you serious about Jason? He is nice, but...there was someone else I thought you would be better with."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Who?"

"Um...Jake?" I said cautiously. Gina was known to have sudden mood swings.

She shook her head. "Suze, you know it would never work out."

"Think of me when you say that. Now go."

And she did. She did not question me any further, just smiled at me and left with Jason. And left me alone with Madame Zara and Jesse.

**Review!**


	20. One Love For All Eternity

**_Bewitched_ **

Chapter 19

As soon as Gina left, Madame Zara showed me the room that I would be staying in. From the outside, the house only appeared to hold maybe one room, but from the inside, it looked like it could fit four. I wanted to ask Madame Zara about it, but maybe it was just me who thought that. I did not want her to think I was crazy and kick me out all ready.

She told me to ask her for anything I needed, and then she just closed the door behind her and left me alone. I wanted to start talking to Jesse...but what if she overheard me? Again, I did not want her to think I was insane. That would not be a good first impression, and would be a reason for her to throw me out of her home.

I decided to wait a few hours, when she was going to sleep. However, not even an hour later after she left me in there, she knocked on the door and I told her to come in. Then she proceeded to tell me that she was going to the market.

"Would you like to come with me?" she asked.

When my mother asked a question like that, I could instantly tell I had no choice, but when Madame Zara asked that, I knew I could choose whether I wanted to go or if I wanted to stay.

Politely, I declined. "Thank you for the offer, but I am not feeling too well from the journey here."

She nodded and smiled at me. "I hope you feel better, dear. I will bring something back for you."

"Oh, no. You do not have to do that. I do not wish to be a burden—"

"You are most certainly not a burden, Susannah. I actually like having you here. It gets quite lonely all by myself, at least, after Benjamin l—" she cut herself off and then started again. "Nevermind that. I will be back in a few hours."

I nodded, not daring to question her on who Benjamin was.

And then I was left alone. With Jesse. I could finally talk to him alone. I was not able to for the past twenty-four hours. He could talk to me, since no one else could hear him, but I could not say anything back, and that was really irritating me.

Jesse was in the corner of the room, just standing there. For some reason, the whole time he was with me since I escaped the jail, he has not sat at all. I guess, being a ghost and all, standing for a long time does not bother you. But it bothered me.

Jesse looked up when I turned to him. He gave me a lovely smile, one that I just melted at, and then he asked, in that concerned voice of his, "Are you all right?"

I smiled back at him, fully knowing that mine was not as magnificent as his was. "For now," I said. "I just hope this woman does not realize who I am."

"I do not think you have to worry about that, _querida_. I can tell this woman has a kind soul. It shows, just like yours does."

I blinked. "You can tell whether a person is good or bad?" I asked, confused. How was I not informed of this earlier?

He smiled kindly back at me with patience. "Mostly. Sometimes the aura can be a bit confusing to decipher, but for the most part, yes, I can."

"That is...very interesting." That was when I remembered something. "What about...what about Paul? Was he good or bad?" I asked, trying not to sound too eager to receive this bit of information.

Jesse stopped smiling. "He was one of the confusing ones," he muttered.

I decided to drop the subject. Obviously Jesse had a bit of a grudge against Paul.

I patted the spot next to me on the bed. Jesse seemed to hesitate before he came over and sat next to me. I questioned him on this and he sighed. "We are finally alone, _querida_, and I am afraid of how I would treat you knowing that no one would interrupt anytime soon."

"Oh."

He smiled. "But I can try and control myself for just a little while," he said softly.

I smiled back and said, a little seductively, "I do not mind it terribly when you treat me that way..."

But before he could get a word of objection in, I leaned into him and kissed him. He did not even hesitate, like he normally did when I initiated the kiss (probably thinking about whether it was right or not). He suckled on my bottom lip a little, and then deepened the kiss.

I fell back on the bed, Jesse falling with me, our lips still locked. He braced himself over me so he did not crush me with his weight.

To my complete dismay, I knew this would end soon. I knew once Jesse came to his senses, this would all come to an end. I did not want it to, but I knew it would.

So I enjoyed it while for the time being.

Jesse's hands slid down to my waist, tingling my skin even through the fabric of my dress. His legs were beside mine, the fabric of his pants rubbing against the revealed skin on my legs. A slightly surprising thought came to me then. I just wanted those pants of his off.

His hand had worked its way up my dress—still on the outside of it—and cupped my breast through the dress. Even so, I could feel a certain area of my chest responding—and I'm pretty sure Jesse could, too, if the smile I could feel against my lips was anything to go by.

Jesse tore his lips away from mine so suddenly that I thought he had realized what he was doing. But he did not, as I soon realized, when he started kissing all down my throat, then my collarbone, and then to anything my dress did not cover on my dress. And considering the low-cut dress I had on—which was the fashion nowadays, and my mother made sure I had the most fashionable dresses around, despite the costs—that was quite a bit.

I had not realized how much pleasure a single pair of lips could bring to one person until then. It was the best thing I had ever experienced in my life, and while I knew it was wrong on so many levels, I just did not want him to stop doing what he was doing.

He then started untying the laces that held my dress together in the front. Of course, underneath that was pretty much nothing, since I had been in my underclothes when they brought me to the jail. The reason why I was wearing a dress was because Gina had lent me one when I was at her father's cottage.

He finished untying the laces and slowly pushed apart the pieces of fabric. I was not completely exposed to him, but the fabric underneath was quite almost transparent, if I may say. So when he moved those pieces of my dress apart...well, lets just say I might as well have been wearing nothing underneath.

He let out a noise then that I had never heard from him before. It sounded almost like a growl. Then, without any more hesitation, he leaned down and kissed me again, this time on the lips. His tongue delved into my mouth and met with mine, intertwining with it, making me moan in pleasure even more, especially when those lovely callused hands of his started roaming over my almost exposed chest.

"Jesse," I gasped out—my voice nearly unrecognizable to my own ears—as his hands brushed over my breasts. It was...I cannot even think of a word to describe the feeling.

And then, just like that, it was all over. I guess my saying his name brought him out of the trance he was in. I mentally kicked myself—why did I have to say something?

The look on Jesse's face when he pulled away from me—and moved so he was sitting on the end of the bed, away from me, but still facing me—was truly a horrible one. I felt bad myself, because I could tell he was beating himself up over the way he treated me.

"Oh, Susannah," he said remorsefully. "Oh, _dios_, I am so sorry. I cannot believe that I just—please forgive me, _querida_, for being so forward."

Instead of telling him to be quiet, like I would normally do, I smiled up at him and said, "What's there to forgive? I cannot forgive you for something that I did not mind."

He opened his mouth to say something, then I guess what I said finally registered. "You...you _enjoyed_ that?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, of course I did, Jesse. It was...well, anyway, yes, I did. And I know you did, too, so do not deny that." He did not seem like he would, anyway, but I knew he would think of an excuse to make it seem wrong.

"But Susannah...it is wrong. _Very _wrong." He groaned. "We cannot do something like that outside of wedlock, Susannah."

"Jesse, we'll never be able to do that _in_ wedlock! Don't you see that? We can never get married. So I really do not see why we cannot do this."

He did not look swayed in the least bit. "Then that is precisely why you should not be with me. I can never give you what you truly need, Susannah."

I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. Why does he have to be this way? Can he not just be selfish for one moment in his life—or, well, afterlife—and just _have_ me?

"I already have what I need! I don't need marriage or kids to make me happy, Jesse! All I need is you!"

He looked away from me after I made that statement. "I find that hard to believe," he said, almost inaudibly.

I moved closer to him on the bed so that I could take his hand in mine. "Jesse," I said in the softest voice I could muster, "its true. Completely and utterly true. There is nothing you can do to change the way I feel about you."

He turned his head and looked at me, those dark eyes of his focused on my green ones. "Why?" I knew what he was asking. Not why could I not change the way I felt about him, but why I felt that about him in the first place.

I smiled warmly and placed my other hand on his cheek. "Because you are the most caring, sincere, loving man that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You never act with your own well being in mind, but everyone else's." And then I leaned in to kiss him, my hand never leaving his oddly warm one.

The kiss was not like the ones we were sharing earlier. It was softer, more sensual. It was a perfect kiss and it did not end like the other ones had.

I pulled away after about a minute and leaned my forehead against his. "And also," I added with a smile, "you are the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on."

I felt, rather than saw, Jesse flush—it was oddly comforting, seeing him blush, instead of it being me. Then he smiled and kissed me quickly.

"And you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on."

Then it was my turn to blush.

I pulled away from him and lay down on the bed, resting my head on the feather-filled pillow. Jesse followed suit, wrapping his strong arms around me and kissing my hair.

It felt so good to just lay like that with him, not really having to worry about anything, like I had been for the whole time I had known him. Even when I was still in my own home, we did not lay like this together. I guess my having been convicted and then escaping loosened him up a little.

Jesse kissed my hair again as I felt my eyelids drifting closed. "Sleep, now, _querida_. You need it." And that was the last thing I remember before drifting off.

- § -

When I awoke Jesse was still there. Somehow, I thought he would leave in the middle of my nap. He was too good to be true. Sure, he was not exactly alive, but that did not matter to me in the least. I knew it was he who would get me through this dilemma. I had faith in that, at least.

Jesse, sensing that I had awoken, tightened his grip around me and kissed my hair. Smiling, I tilted my head back to meet his. We kissed briefly—it was not anything special, like the night before was.

Then Jesse pulled away and said, regretfully, "I have to go see Father Dominic right now. I promised him that I would come earlier with news of our arrival, but that...well, I was distracted."

I grinned at his obvious embarrassment over our intimacy last night. I did not want him to leave, but he looked so adorable blushing that I could not help but smile. "But it was a good distraction," I said.

Jesse nodded and chuckled, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Yes, it was," he said and smiled at me. Then he sighed. "Alright. I must go. I shall be back soon."

I nodded. "I will be waiting."

He smiled one last time and disappeared.

I sighed and fell back on the bed, resting my eyes again briefly. Briefly did not even seem like enough time for how long I closed my eyes, for almost as soon as Jesse left, Madame Zara came in with a slight smile on her face.

I was so shocked that I nearly fell off the bed.

She smiled at me and came to sit on the edge of the bed. She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "He is gone, correct?"

I blinked at her. Was she talking about...? No, she could not be. How could she...?

"Who?" I settled for asking.

"Your lover," she replied. Then, seeing that I was hesitant to reply, she added, "Your _ghost_."

My eyes widened and I could see her confident smile. "You can—you can—"

She shook her head. "No, I cannot see the dead. However, I can sense them. Sometimes I can even hear them, but that is very rarely."

"Oh," I said, still quite shocked. "Did you...hear him?" I asked hesitantly.

She smiled a little, then replied, "No. But I could sense him...and his feelings. It is very obvious that he loves you." She hesitated. "He is gone, then?"

I nodded and asked, "Why?"

She smiled confidentially. "I need to discuss something with you." When I nodded she continued. "You absolutely love this man, correct? There would be no other man whom you love so much?"

I was confused by the questions she was suddenly asking me. _Why_ was she asking them? Nevertheless, I answered her, "Yes."

"Good," she said with a smile.

Good? What was that supposed to mean?

Then she said, which completely threw me off guard, "You, Susannah, will only have one love for all of eternity. Now, I am sure you can guess who that love is."

And then, in the blink of an eye, she was up and off the bed, shutting the door softly behind her.

What was that all about?

Shaking my head, I lay back down on the bed and waited for Jesse to come back. I needed to discuss this with him. Thinking about it made my head hurt.

It was only a moment later that Jesse returned, smiling warmly at me. Then, seeing that I was not smiling back, he asked worriedly, "Susannah, what is wrong?"

**Well, I didn't really like the ending to this chapter, I must say. I tried so hard to make it decent, but i know it probably looks like crap. I just didn't know how to go around with Madame Zara's character. Anyway, please review. Lots of them are welcome. : )**

**-Nicole**


	21. Thumpthump

**_Bewitched_ **

Chapter 20

I explained to Jesse what had happened and he seemed just as shocked about it as I did. Neither of us knew what to make of it, what it was supposed to mean. After a good while thinking about it, we just decided to wait and see what happened, if anything _was_ going to happen, which I was not fully convinced myself that it was.

I talked with him for a couple hours, just about random things. Neither of us wanted to go into the subject of 'us', which we were so carefully avoiding. I for one was not going to be the one to bring that up.

It was pretty soon that I could feel my eyes drooping again. The small window in my room indicated that it was dark out and by the position of the moon it was around nine o'clock. I let out a big yawn accidentally and Jesse smiled at me in amusement.

"I think you should sleep, _querida_," he said. "I can tell I am boring you."

Affronted, I said back, "You were not boring me, I am just...tired."

He chuckled lightly. "I know. I was just joking with you." He moved from next to me and brought the covers over my body and tucked me in like a little child.

"I am not five!"

He chuckled again and said, "I never said you were. But I know it gets chilly at night now, so you will need the covering."

I rolled my eyes at him and rolled over in the bed, facing the wall. I heard him chuckle again and he slid in next to me, wrapping those nice, strong arms around me protectively. He craned his neck and kissed me on the cheek. "Goodnight, _querida_."

I smiled to myself and allowed my eyes to drift closed once again.

- § -

When I awoke again it was morning. I could tell by the light streaming in through the window above my head. The first thought that struck me when I awoke was 'Wow. I do not think I have ever slept in until the sun had already risen.' Because, normally, I was up before the sun was.

However, that was not the strangest thing to happen that morning. Not at all.

I adjusted myself a little, snuggling in closer to Jesse. "Good morning, _querida_," came Jesse's voice.

Since I was laying on his chest (which turned out to be my new pillow) I could practically _feel_ him talking. I heard his voice reverberating through his body.

But that was not the only thing I heard whilst my head was against his chest. No, I heard something else. At first I just thought I was imagining things, that maybe it was my own...

But it was not.

I pressed my head closer against his chest, trying to prove to myself that it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but when I did listen, I heard a soft _thump-thump_, indicating that I was not dreaming, nor was I crazy.

I jumped away from Jesse like he was on fire. How could...it could not be true. I had _not_ just heard what I did.

I backed myself up against the wall and Jesse looked at me in shock, getting off the bed and standing up next to it, a few feet away from me. "What is it, Susannah?" he asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

For some odd reason, I could not fully create sentences, so all that came out of my mouth was mindless babble. I pointed at his chest and said shakily, "You—you...Jesse you have—" And yet I could not say it. I do not know why, but I could not tell him what I heard, what he suddenly had that he didn't have since he died.

Jesse looked down at himself and suddenly I noticed he did not possess that odd glow that ghosts have. He was...my thoughts were suddenly not making any sense. How _could_ he be? How could this have happened, all of a sudden?

That was it. I told myself I was dreaming. That was the only explanation for what I was suddenly seeing and hearing.

Jesse looked back up at me confusedly. "What is it?" He touched himself and patted all down his body. "Is there something on me?" he asked.

And suddenly everything just seemed hilarious. I was suddenly hysteric. I was laughing uncontrollably and Jesse was looking at me like I was a lunatic. And who knows? Maybe I am. There was no other explanation for how he could suddenly possess something a dead man cannot possess.

It took me about five minutes to calm myself down. Jesse took that as an opportunity to again ask me what was going on.

I had calmed down considerably by then and could form coherent sentences. "I...I do not know. I could have _sworn _that I heard..." I trailed off and shook my head. "Its just wishful thinking. I'm dreaming. I know I am." I looked down at the floor, trying to sort my thoughts out. I _had_ to be dreaming. And if I was, it would not be that far off. I had dreamt before that Jesse had suddenly become alive.

But then why did it seem so _real_?

Jesse easily strode over to me and cupped my face in his hands. "What is going on, Susannah?" he asked seriously, forcing me to meet his gaze.

I shook my head. "I don't _know_. I thought...Jesse, I thought I heard..." I do not know why it was so hard for me to say it. Maybe because if it _was_ really happening and I said it, it would all go away and ruin everything.

I pressed my head against his chest once again. At first I did not hear anything and I thought for sure that that was all just my mind playing tricks on me. But then...then I heard it again. That soft _thump-thump_ of a heart beating. A heart that was not my own.

I removed my head from his chest and said, my eyes filling up with joyous tears, "You have a heart beat."

He let go of me immediately, looking at me with pure shock. "What? Susannah, maybe you hit your head or—"

I narrowed my eyes at him, the tears spilling over down my cheeks. "Don't tell me I hit my head! You were with me the whole time and I did not fall once! If you don't believe me, see for yourself!" And I took his hand and brought it over where his heart should be in his chest.

At first there was no reaction from him, but then suddenly his face changed. It was a mix between pure shock and joy.

Then he looked back at me, his eyes widened and mouth hanging open. "How...wha..."

I smiled, delighted that this was true, and that I was not a lunatic. "I don't know, Jesse, but...isn't this great? You—you're alive! You're alive, Jesse!"

Jesse looked down at himself in wonder. It was clear that he did not believe it was true. _I_ was having difficulty believing it myself. But it was true. He was alive. I do not know how and I do not know why, but whatever source gave him life I was eternally grateful.

When he looked back up at him with a grin on his beautiful face, I took a step toward him and hugged him tightly. He returned the embrace and kissed the top of my head. "Oh, Susannah..." he mumbled into my hair.

I rested my head on his chest and yet again I heard that wonderful sound, proof that my Jesse was alive, that some way, somehow, he possessed life, just like me. Now there was no way he could say he was not good enough for me.

Hesitantly I lifted my head off his chest and looked up into his warm, dark eyes. He looked down into mine with a certain happiness that I had never seen in his eyes before. "How did this happen?" he whispered.

I shook my head, tears still carefully rolling down my cheeks. "Does it matter? You are alive, Jesse, and that means we can truly be together."

"I know," he said, his smile slowly getting wider. "And that also means that I can give you what you truly deserve."

I smiled back up at him in pure joy. Then he lowered his head and kissed me slowly, sweetly, lovingly, and, well, lively.

I do not know how this happened, but honestly, I didn't care. I was grateful to whatever higher power decided to give him his life back, but I didn't care how they did it or why they did it. I was just thankful that it happened, because it made things a _lot_ less complicated.

When he pulled away from (now having needed air, unlike all those other times we kissed), he asked, "What do we do now?"

I looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, where do we go from here? We cannot stay at this woman's house forever. We have to live by ourselves for a few years. We cannot go back to see your family for a while, Susannah. And, well, I do not even technically _exist_."

I shook my head. "You do now, Jesse. You exist now. People other than Father Dom and me will be able to see you. Look, I'll show you."

And I dragged him out of the room and into the room where, for some odd reason, I knew Madame Zara would be. She did not even look at us until we were standing right in front of her. Then she carefully lifted her gaze and smiled. "Ah," she said, not in the least alarmed that there was a man in her house that she did not let in, "it worked."

Puzzled, I asked, "what worked?"

She smiled kindly at me. "Well, didn't you wonder why your beloved is alive?"

My eyes widened considerably. "Th-that was...that was you?" I stammered.

She nodded her head at us. "Why, of course it was. Who did you think could do that?"

"I...I do not know. I just...how? How did you do that?"

She grinned. "A magician never reveals their secret."

I could see that she was not going to tell me. But that was okay, I did not need to know. Yes, I was curious, but my concern won. "Will there be any side-affects? Is this permanent?"

She smiled at me again. "Yes, this is permanent. I would not have done it if it was temporary. I made that mistake with Benj—"

And there it was again. Who was this Benjamin she keeps talking about?

I voiced this and she looked away from me. "He was the man I was in love with. He died right before we were to be wed and I thought he was gone forever. But he came back to me. I could not see him, but I could hear him. We talked sometimes when we were alone, but we could do nothing else. That was when I found this incantation that could do what I just did for Hector. It worked for Benjamin, but only for a little while. I realized then that I did not do it correctly and before I could correct my mistake, he was gone, forever."

I did not ask an explanation like that from her, but she still gave it to me. I saw the tears rolling down her cheeks that she tried to hide. I felt horribly for her. She lost the only person that she had ever loved. If that happened to me I would—

"Did you do it right this time?"

This time it was Jesse asking the question.

She looked back at us with tearstained cheeks. Nodding, she said, "Yes, I made sure of it. I knew you loved him, Susannah, and it was the proper thing to do for both of you."

And I hugged her. Normally I am not a very touchy person, but when someone does something so great like that for you, you cannot help but hug them.

"Thank you, so much."

She hugged me back, then quickly released me. "You are very welcome. Think of it as an early wedding present."

I laughed, despite myself and thanked her again. Then I told her that we were going to go back to "my" room and talk. She nodded and told me to ask her for anything I needed.

I smiled at her gratefully. "You have given me all that I will ever need."

**Review, please!**


	22. Visiting Father Dominic

****

Bewitched

Chapter 21

It was not until a few hours later that things really started to sink in. _Jesse was alive_. He was flesh and blood, he had a _heartbeat_. I knew all this when it first happened, but it took a while for it to hit me full blast. Like when someone close to you dies, and you _know_ that it happened, but it just takes you a long time to actually realize that they're gone—and they don't come back in ghost form (I have to make it so it relates to _me, _too).

But now Jesse and I could do all those things we never thought we would be able to do when he was dead. We could get married, have kids, do the thing that _creates _the kids...and, well, people would be able to see him now. My parents, my siblings, my best _friends_...

It all seemed like a dream. A very, very good dream that I never wanted to end. Except...this was not a dream. It was real and I was happier than I had ever been in my life.

Jesse could see the difference in me, I could tell. He even told me so. "_Querida_, you are glowing," he had said with a smile. At first I thought he meant I was glowing, like he used to do when he was dead. But then I realized that he meant I was glowing, as in I was ebullient, happy, radiant.

It was just so surreal, everything happening all at once. But...I would not have had it any other way. God came back to me. He finally answered my prayers and gave me the one thing I wanted most in the world: the one man that I truly loved to possess life.

After that day, I never doubted God again. He came through for me in the end and that's all that mattered to me. Because, honestly, God _was_ on my side throughout all of this. I would not have made it that far if it were not for him—who else would have sent Jesse to me?

The day after he became alive, Jesse and I decided it was best if we left. Madame Zara gave us some money that we could use (after I swore to her that I would pay her back someday) and we still had some of the money from Father Dominic, so Jesse and I would do well for a while. Madame Zara also gave Jesse some clothes that she had (I assumed they were Benjamin's), so he would not be wearing the clothes he died in, which were _very_ outdated.

It was night when we left. We still wanted to remain inconspicuous lest anyone spot me and turn me in to the authorities. I had my doubts that it would happen, but Jesse and I wanted to remain on the safe side.

As we walked from town to town, Jesse kept his arm around me, keeping me warm even throughout the night, which was something that I was very thankful for. It was odd, though...it seemed as if Jesse had never been dead. For someone who only just became alive a little over a day ago, he adapted to it very well. I guess I gave him less credit than he deserved.

We walked all through the night. It was a tiring experience, but it had to be done. Once the sun began to rise, we made our way to the nearest inn and stayed there. No one recognized us. The nice lady in the front led us up to our room and asked if we needed anything. When we said no, she walked away.

Once the lady was down the hall, I shut the door behind Jesse, and I and smiled up at him sunnily. "Finally!" I exclaimed, falling down on the bed in the room. It felt like so long since I had sat down, especially on a bed.

I looked around the room, surveying it. The bed was probably the largest object in the room, followed by a vanity with drawers for some clothing. There was a chair in the corner, but it looked very worn, so I would not recommend sitting in it.

The bed was the only thing we needed, though. The lady, before she left, briefly told us that there would be breakfast for us in about an hour, if we wanted to come down. I guess we arrived so early that the breakfast was not even made yet. Fancy that.

Jesse smiled back at me, sitting himself down next to me on the bed. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he reached out and pulled me into him.

It really is amazing just how much life can make someone so happy. Yes, Jesse seemed happy enough when he was dead (unlike most other ghosts that are brooding and want to wreak havoc on any and every human they see), but now that he was alive...well, he seemed radiant. And I guess it was contagious, because I was just as happy as—if not more than—he was.

It was strange, because I should have been worried. I had, after all, escaped from a dungeon with no doors or windows. Not only that, but the reason I was in there was because mostly everyone thought I was a witch. If you put those two together...well, you do not really get something good.

But even though I should have been worried, I was not. I had Jesse with me...and I guess I just felt that he would protect me no matter what. No, I _knew_ that he would protect me no matter what.

He was warm. This time he actually _was_ warm, instead of my mind playing tricks on me when he was a ghost. I pretended to struggle out of his embrace, even though I relished every second of it.

Jesse chuckled and pulled back from me slightly, so he could look down at me. He smiled and leaned down, lightly kissing my nose.

What a tease. He _knew_ how his lips made me feel. So, really, he should not have been as surprised as he was when I wrenched my arm out from his embrace and pulled his head back down toward my lips.

I fell back on the bed, dragging him with me. He braced himself around me, so as to not crush me with his weight. His left hand, which was previously on my hip, came down to my face and caressed my cheek. Then he held my face in his hand and whispered, "_Te amo, querida_."

And then he kissed me again.

I moaned against his lips in approval, urging him to keep going. For something so sinful, it felt so right. I assume Jesse thought the same thing, because, when I slipped my hand up his shirt and ran my fingers along his muscled stomach, he groaned.

But I guess the noise made him realize just what was going on, because he stopped, yet again, and sat up, looking at me apologetically. I sat up as well and moved away from him slightly, realizing he needed his space. "Susannah, I—" he started, but I put a finger to his lips and shook my head.

"No, Jesse, do not apologize. I know." I removed my finger and smiled.

He shook his head. "_Querida_, if it were any other time or place. If we were just _married_—"

"But we're not." I shook my head and looked down at the bed. "Please, I do not wish to argue right now."

He put his finger under my chin and tilted it so I had to look him in the eye. "Susannah, I have been given life, something that should never have happened. God has been generous enough to give me another chance at life. I cannot disgrace Him with something so...so _sinful_."

I looked up and into his deep, gorgeous eyes and asked softly, "But is it really such a sin, Jesse? If you and I want it, if we are in love...isn't that enough?"

He stared into my eyes, just like I was staring into his. "I..." he started and looked down at the bed, "I do not know." He shook his head and looked up at me again. "I know Father Dominic would not approve."

I scoffed. "Well, I wonder why—wait! Father Dominic!"

Jesse knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "Yes...that is what I said."

"No, not—never mind. Jesse, we forgot about everyone at home. They—Father Dom probably assumes the worst. You have not visited him since before you became alive and he is probably...oh, dear..."

Jesse had the same expression on as I did. "You are right, Susannah. But how are we going to—" Then he stopped and stared at me.

I was confused as to why he was looking at me like that at first, but then I realized soon enough. "Jesse...I don't think I can..."

He cupped his hands around my face and looked into my eyes. "You did it before. You can do it again."

"But—but Jesse...I—"

"Shh," he soothed, "I'm here with you. All you need to do is shift into his house, behind the church. You remember what it looks like, right?"

I nodded. "Of course. But I don't think I can—"

"I _know_ you can, _querida_."

I nodded again and he held my hand I closed my eyes and thought of the place. Father Dominic's secluded place behind Andover's church. I had only been there once, but I remembered it as if I had been there thousands of times.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

"Susannah? What—"

I whirled around and saw Father Dominic sitting in his chair, reading from a book, a candle on a stand next to him. His eyes drifted to my left and his eyes widened in shock. He instantly stood up and walked over to me, his eyes still glued to something to my left.

Curiosity took over and I glanced to my left and gasped. Jesse was there. How did he—

Oh, my goodness. I dragged him with me. Would that...did it hurt him? Oh, no.

"Jesse!" I gasped in shock and he looked at me in astonishment. I guess he did not realize that he came with me, either.

"Susannah, Jesse, what is the meaning of this?" Father Dominic whispered in a hard voice. "How on God's gracious earth did you—" He stopped mid-question, probably realizing he was getting too worked up. That was not a good thing at his age.

I do not know why I did this, but I flung myself at Father Dominic and hugged him. It was an awkward one after I realized what I had done, but it still made me feel better. It just felt so long since I had last seen him that I needed to do something to show him that. And that was hugging him, I guess.

He patted my back awkwardly and said, "I know, child. I have missed you, too."

I pulled away from him, as he did from me. Then he gestured to Jesse and asked, astonished, "How did this happen?"

I looked at Jesse and he smiled at me lovingly. Then I looked back at Father Dominic and explained to him how Jesse had become one of the living once again. I told him how I went to see Gina and then she sent me to stay with Madame Zara. And then I told him about Benjamin—what I knew of him, anyway—and then about Jesse being alive once again. To say he looked shocked afterward would be a tremendous understatement.

"She is like us, then," he said after he recovered from his shock. "She is a mediator."

I shook my head. "No, not exactly. She said she could sense spirits, but could not see them, nor hear them."

Father Dominic, I could tell, was still in shock over the situation. I do not really blame him; _I_ still am not fully used to the idea that Jesse is _alive_.

Father Dominic shook his head and then turned his eyes to me, "We were worried. When Jesse did not show up for a few days, we began to fret."

"That is why we came," Jesse said from my side. It is funny. I had almost forgotten that he was there.

I shifted nervously. "There is also another reason," I said quietly.

"Your mother is fine, Susannah. I have been checking up on her daily."

"What about Mary? Is she—"

"Paul exorcized her." Then he added begrudgingly, "without my permission."

I smirked. I just could not help it. So Paul _did_ exorcize her. Well, good. It serves her right. That horrible creature. Hell would—_should_—be her new home.

Father Dominic's gaze flitted between Jesse and me. Then he said, "Enough about ghosts. How are you both?"

I looked at Jesse and gave him a half-smile. He returned it. "All right," I said, turning back to Father Dominic. "As well as we can be."

Father Dominic nodded. "Where are you staying? Surely you are not still traveling."

"No, we stopped this morning. We are staying in an inn in Andover."

"In...in separate rooms, I hope," he said.

Jesse and I exchanged glances. "Um, well," I started, not knowing what to say. "We did not want to waste money. Besides, people seemed to think we were...well, together, anyway."

"Susannah! You know it is a sin to—"

"Father Dominic, we are just sleeping in the same bed. Nothing else is happening, I assure you. I would not lie to you about that."

He sighed resignedly. "Alright, alright. Just...promise me you will not do...that, before marriage."

My eyes widened and unwillingly focused on Jesse. He spoke before I could. "We promise, Father. Nothing of that sort will happen."

I noticed he did not say _did_ happen. Because it most certainly was not nothing that was going on before.

Father Dominic gave us a few more things to abide by, then wished us good luck. Grabbing Jesse's hand, I thought of the room in the inn, and when I opened my eyes we were there.

Except there was one little problem. The lady that showed us our room was there, looking down at us on the floor with immense concern. And right then a few men came in.

**SOOO sorry this took so long. I promise to try and update a lot sooner next time. Also, Merry Christmas/Channukah/Kwanza/or whatever it is you celebrate. Hope you all get what you wished for!**

**Oh! And remember to review!**


	23. A Visitor From Beyond

****

Bewitched

Chapter 22

It was actually nothing to really worry about. The lady just wanted to see if we were alright, and after explaining to her that we had just fallen off the bed and were heavy sleepers, she walked away with the men (although she did not look all too convinced). However, one happened to stay behind.

When he asked us if I was Susannah Simon, I instantly was seized with fear. It had finally come back - the fear - after being gone for so long. What if he was here to turn me in? He figured out who I was? But how? I had never seen this man in my entire life.

But then I realized, as Jesse took hold of my upper arm protectively, that he did look a tad bit familiar. Like someone I had seen in a picture, but never really met before.

When the man saw the look on my face, he smiled warmly and said, "Do not fret. I am just here to ask you about Madame Zara."

I blinked. Madame Zara? How could he know who she is? Unless…oh, my goodness. I realized then who he was.

"Benjamin?" I asked hesitantly. Jesse, I noticed, was quite confused when I said that. But then he realized who I was talking about and looked curiously at the man before us.

I decided then it was time to stand up and get up off the floor.

The man nodded. "I assume she told you about me, then. Yes, I am Benjamin."

I blinked again. Then I was astonished. How was he here? "Wha - I thought you were -"

He nodded again. "I know what she told you. But I was never actually a ghost. I was - _am_ - an angel that fell in love with a human."

I just stared at him. Then I looked to Jesse to see what his reaction was. It was pretty much the same as mine. "You - you're an angel?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes. I was actually sent down to protect you. But what nobody realized was that you already had someone to protect you." His gaze fell on Jesse then.

I turned my head to look at Jesse. He smiled at me and slid his arm from my shoulders down to my waist and held it there. I looked back at Benjamin.

"Well then what are you doing here?" I asked. It came out sounding very rude, but I did not mean it that way. Benjamin, I could tell, did not take it offensively, which was good. I did not want an angel being upset with me.

"I am here to tell you that there are some men that are following you. While they have not caught on to where you are yet, they will soon. It would be wise if you left this town and moved on to another. Your best bet would be Dorchester, which is quite far from here." He then dropped his gaze and slipped his hand inside his cloak, pulling something from it. It was a painting, I soon noticed, when he pulled it out. I was confused, though, as to why he would be showing me a painting.

"This is the church of Dorchester. It is very unique compared to others in the surrounding area. This should help with your shifting to the town. Walking would take far too long." He handed the painting to me and I took it, my eyes falling onto the beautifully painted church and landscape.

He spoke again and I looked up from the painting. "But I advise that you wait until midnight and shift behind that tree there," he said, pointing to a rather obscure tree near the church. "There is a forest behind the church, and a cottage lies within the forest. Use your instincts. It should notbe hard to find."

I nodded and he smiled. "Thank you," I said. "For helping us."

He smiled warmly at us. "Its my pleasure. Now, I must get going. If you need anything, just call my name." He was about to disappear, but I said, "Wait!" There was something I had to know.

"Yes?"

"Well…what about Madame Zara? If you are…well, alive, then why don't you go to her?" I asked hesitantly.

He half-smiled. "I wish I could. But I have already ruined her life enough. Although….I do watch her sometimes and see that she is very alone….but to go to her…it would ruin things even more."

I was beginning to see how alike Benjamin and Jesse were, then. I was able to prove to Jesse that I _did_ need him, so maybe I could do it for Benjamin, also.

"Benjamin, she needs you, can't you see that? You have not ruined her life. You've given her something that she needs and now you have to fulfill it. She loves you and you're the only man she will ever love. Now you have to go to her."

He seemed to consider this. "There are things I must do, duties that I cannot abandon to be with a human. I just… I can't."

"You are not abandoning your duties, Benjamin. Besides, don't you think she has the right to know what exactly happened to you? She thinks that she was the cause of your disappearance."

His eyes widened as he gasped. "She does?"

I nodded woefully. "Yes."

He looked down and then nodded to himself. "Alright. I…I will go see her."

I smiled, greatly relieved. "Great. And…thanks again for helping us."

He smiled and started to fade. "Anytime."

I just hope everything goes alright with Benjamin and Madame Zara. They both deserve to have a happy ending, even if one is human and one is an angel.

- § -

It did not take me long to shift to Dorchester. While I was not able to get there on my first try, I still ended up there. With Jesse's hand in mine.

We took Benjamin's advice and waited until midnight and shifted behind the tree. We were unseen and were able to slip into the forest, unnoticed.

The forest, I have to say, did frighten me a little. However, I realized that I had Jesse with me and I knew he would never let anything happen to me. He was there to protect me and I felt safe. Safer than any time in my whole entire life.

Benjamin was right, though. The cottage was not hard to find in the forest. It was deep within the forest, but I suppose these new powers that I now know I have, have come in good use.

When we reached the cottage, Jesse stopped in front of it. I tried to urge him to go in with him, but he just looked at it and would not budge.

"What?" I asked, fear starting to creep into my voice. "What is it?"

He shook his head and blinked. "I…I do not know. It just…this all seems to easy. Does it not to you, _querida_?"

All fear was lost from me then. I smiled at him and took his arm. "Is it not supposed to be that way? We have been through quite some trying times, Jesse. Things should start to be getting easier."

And, for once in my life after I had said something like that, things _did_ start to get easier, and they did not get more complicated.

He smiled back at me and said, "I suppose you are right."

"Of course I am."

He chuckled and led me into the house. Surprisingly, when we first walked in, we were met with a nice, fresh pine smell, which I supposed was delivered from the forest itself. Also, I noticed that the large bed, to accommodate both of us, I assumed, was made nicely and there were trunks of clothes for us in the corner.

Benjamin had really gone out of his way for us. I was not sure if it was just because he was sent to help me (and Jesse, too), or if he was just grateful that we had, in a way, helped the woman he loved.

But whatever the reason, I was grateful. It felt so refreshing to be in a fresh, pine-smelling room with clean clothing, and a nicely made bed (and also one comfortable enough to sleep on).

There was also a small fireplace and pot for us to do cooking should we need to, which, believe me, we would need to. We may have gotten nice clothes and a made bed and a shelter over our heads, but we still needed to catch and cook our own food. And there was also a small washroom in the corner of the cottage. It was tucked away so much, that I did not even notice it when I first walked in. And, of course, somewhere to do our business outside, but no one needs to know about _that_.

Weeks went by as we stayed in that little cottage. Occasionally, about once every two weeks, Jesse and I would visit Father Dominic, letting him know of our current position, which really had not changed since the previous visit. And also to see if it was alright to come back yet.

It was about six months later that we heard that the witch trials were finally over. Father Dominic had said that they were dying down, that people were starting to realize the absurdities of them the past few times we visited him. But, finally - FINALLY - they were over and done with.

And that meant that we could go home.

**So sorry this took long. And, I am also sorry for the pathetic shortness of this chapter. I really am. And I admit that it was more of just a filler than a chapter, so I could do the next - and final - chapter.**

**Yes, this story is coming to a close. After about a year and four - almost five - months.**

**Then that means I can work on Inf. and get that done and get to work on My Queen! I'm really excited for that story: )**

**Happy exam week (for New Jerseyans (sp?), at least),**

**Nicole**


	24. The End

****

Bewitched

Chapter 23

We decided to stay in the cottage for another month, just to play it safe. But after that, we were out of there. Jesse and I thought about traveling back to Andover on foot, but decided against it. It would take _far_ too long, and I wanted to get back as soon as possible.

So we opted for shifting to Madame Zara's house. She had, after all, helped us out before. Besides, we were only using her home as a stopping place. We were going to walk from there.

Instead of shifting in front of her home, which would raise some suspicions, should anyone see us, or inside her house (I did not want to be rude), we figured we would shift in the back of her house.

When we shifted, I noticed that the yard behind the house was bigger than I thought it was before. Things regarding Madame Zara never cease to amaze me.

We went up to the back door and knocked. Seconds later, it seemed, someone answered the door. But it was not Madame Zara as I had originally thought. Instead, it was Benjamin.

You probably do not realize how shocked and happy I was. Because he listened to me, he came back for her. Not only that, but he _stayed_.

Benjamin laughed at my astonished expression. "I thought I would see you sometime soon," he said contentedly. Then he gestured for Jesse and me to come inside.

"I thought about what you said," Benjamin continued. "And I realized that you were right. I couldn't just leave the woman I loved here, without me. So I came to her…and I decided to stay."

Madame Zara came out of the bedroom, glowing. She looked…well, like an angel. She smiled when she saw us and came over and hugged me.

"I am so happy. I…I cannot express how thankful I am."

I smiled and hugged her back. "Well, I think we're even, then. You know, after bringing Jesse back to life." I grinned at the man in question. He grinned back.

"Oh, before I forget," Madame Zara said, "Mr. Augustin and his daughter left to go back to Andover. Mr. Augustin, I am happy to report, is doing quite well."

My eyes widened and I gasped. "What…oh my goodness. Well…that is certainly some good news. I suppose…" I looked over at Jesse, "we shall be seeing them when we go back, Jesse."

He laughed. "Oh, how could I forget Miss Augustin?"

I laughed, too. I remembered oh so well what happened when I went to visit Gina and Jesse was still invisible - to Gina, at least.

Madame Zara looked at me questioningly. "Go back? You…you're going back to Andover?" she asked, incredulity slightly seeping into her tone.

I hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes. We are going back."

"But, child, do you not think it is too early?" she asked.

I sighed. Somehow…I knew this would happen. "No, I do not think its too early. We were in that house that Benjamin kindly lent to us for six months. We were in contact with Father Dominic - he's the priest of the church in Andover - and he said the witch trials had fully died down."

She sighed. "A-alright. If you think its safe to go back, then I guess it is." She then looked at Benjamin. "What do you think?"

Benjamin looked at Jesse and I and smiled. "I think they'll be fine. Have some faith, dear."

"Well," I said, looking at Jesse with a smile, and then back to Madame Zara, "we just came to say goodbye and thank you for everything. None of this would have happened if it weren't for you. Jesse would…would not be _alive_ if it were not for you. And for that I am eternally grateful."

She smiled at us both. "It was my pleasure. After all, was it not you two that brought my love back to me?"

We said our goodbyes to Benjamin and Madame Zara and then set off to Andover (we decided to walk, since just _appearing_ there might attract a bit of attention. The trials were only just over, we did not want to be convicted).

- § -

My hair tousled in the wind as we stood on the very edge of town. I could feel the fear settling in the pit of my stomach. Fear that I would be convicted again, that maybe Father Dominic was mistaken, that the trials were _not_ over, that everything was not completely okay…

But no, I had to trust the people I cared about. Namely, Jesse, who was telling me there was nothing to worry about, that we could go into town.

I sighed and smiled at him as he led me into town.

It was fairly early, but still late. The sun would be setting in about twenty minutes, Jesse had said, so by the time we reached our family, it would be almost dark. Which was okay by me. I did not want to attract attention to myself or Jesse. Wandering in the dark was the best thing to do.

The town was fairly settled as we walked through it. Families were at home, sitting at the table and waiting to be served, while the women were finishing up the cooking. It was soothing almost, thinking about that; about the fact that I had once gone through that.

I sighed and leaned into Jesse as we walked. His arm snaked around my waist and settled itself on my hip, tingling the skin there. "I love you," I found myself uttering, barely audible. But I guess he heard it, since he kissed the top of my head and whispered back, "_Te amo, querida_." I smiled to myself and let the warm feeling that his proclamation created wash over me.

It was not long before we reached my house - or what was once my house. I was not sure if I could quite call it that anymore. When we reached the house, a wave of anxiety washed over me. Would my family even take me back? I feared that they would not. If that happened, what would I do?

Jesse pushed me forward gently and whispered encouraging words to me. "Everything will turn out alright," he said.

I nodded my head and started forward, Jesse following close behind. As I reached the door, I took a deep breath and knocked on it. Seconds later someone opened it. And I thanked the heavens that it was not my mother that had done so.

Andy gawked at me. "S-Suze? H-how are you…" He shook his head and opened the door farther so Jesse and I could come in.

"Hi, Andy," I said sort of awkwardly. I gestured toward Jesse. "Um, this is Jesse, Andy. He's…he's a very good friend of mine."

Andy looked at Jesse, as if really noticing him for the first time. He nodded and said, "It's nice to meet you, Jesse."

Jesse smiled and took the hand that Andy had offered him. "It's nice to meet you, too, Sir."

Then Andy looked back at me with a slight smile on his face; a smile that was hiding some sort of secret. "I thought you said it would never work?" he whispered.

I looked at him in shock. How did he know it was Jesse I was talking about? I found myself replying, "We found a way."

He grinned. "Good." Then he started saying in a normal voice, "Well, I'm sure your mother would love to see you."

That was when I gulped. Seeing my mother after so long…well, it would be an experience.

I nodded to Andy and he led us into the den. I turned to Jesse as he was doing so and grabbed his hand. I squeezed it reassuringly when he looked a little nervous.

When we walked into the room I saw that my mother was doing some needlepoint. She did not look up when we entered, so Andy said, "Helen, there are some people here to see you."

She looked up then. The needle fell from her hand and landed on the cloth she was sewing on. "S-Susie?" she managed to say.

I smiled and went over to her, giving her a hug. "Yes," I said. "It is me, Mom."

She hugged me back, squeezing me until I could barely breathe. She finally let go and just looked at me. "Oh…I am so glad. I - we - assumed the worst after…" she shook her head. "Father Dominic assured us that you were fine, but how would he know? I just…I'm so glad you are back and okay…" she trailed off and gave me another hug.

It was then that she finally noticed Jesse standing about a foot away from Andy. "And who is that?" she asked, a tinge of fear creeping into her voice.

"That's Jesse, Mom. He's…he's a very good friend of mine. He helped me a lot when I was in hiding."

My mother smiled. "If he helped you, then he is certainly welcome here."

I talked with her a little more after that, telling her about my journey and where I stayed, careful to leave out the parts about Jesse being a ghost and Benjamin being an angel. There are just some things that your mother does not need to know.

Afterwards, Andy called the boys down and we rejoiced. David and Jake gave me hugs, along with Brad, who was a little reluctant to do so.

Then something surprising happened. My mother pulled me aside and told me that there was someone she wanted me to meet. I looked at her confusedly as she brought me to my room. Perplexed, I followed her in. I saw the crib that was a few feet away from my bed.

Then I remembered. My mother was supposedly 'pregnant' when she was convicted. So she really _was_ pregnant at the time.

My mom went over to the crib and picked up the baby inside. She held her close to her bosom and brought her over to me, gesturing for me to take her.

I held the baby to my chest and gazed at the angelic face. She was so beautiful.

"Susie, this is your little sister, Elizabeth," Mom said with a smile on her face.

"She's beautiful," I whispered, not once taking my gaze off my baby sister's face.

"I was afraid that you would never get to see her…and she would never get to see you. I am so glad that you came back. For all of our sakes."

I smiled and leaned down, kissing Elizabeth on the forehead, before handing her off to my mother, who set her back in her crib.

My smile stayed glued to my face as we walked back downstairs.

We were one, big happy family again. And Jesse was included in it this time.

- § -

It was not long after we came back that my family realized that mine and Jesse's relationship was not completely platonic. I wanted them to find out, just not so soon. Although, I suppose it was for the best, considering Jesse and I wanted to get married, preferably in the near future.

When my family first found out that Jesse and I were planning on getting married, the first question from my mother was, "What happened to that nice Paul boy?"

I looked over at her with guilt. I realized that I _had_ promised to marry Paul. I promised _him_. I instantly felt bad and a little scared. What would he do when he found out about Jesse and me?

"Oh, don't worry about that," I heard Brad say. "Slater went back to Virginia. I guess he realized he didn't belong here."

I instantly felt relieved. He went back to Virginia. That was like a blessing in disguise.

However, the downside to them finding out was that Jesse could not stay with us. Do not get me wrong, my family loved him, they just did not love the idea of two lovers living under one roof (besides my mom and Andy - that was different). So Jesse was sent to live with Father Dominic, who gladly took him in.

I was so used to being with Jesse day and night, sleeping in the same bed with him and waking up with him next to me, a smile on his gorgeous face. So you can see why it was slightly hard to go back to sleeping by myself and not seeing him when I go to sleep and then when I wake up. Luckily, I had my little sister to keep me company in the night. Although more often than not she woke me up in the middle of the night with her incessant cries. I did my mother a favor though and satisfied her, so my mother could have some sleep. I know she was tired mostly because of that.

It was not all that bad with Jesse not with me at night, I suppose. Jesse was at my house bright and early, since he had told Andy he would help with the field work. Andy, glad to have an extra worker, delightfully agreed. I was told that since they had Jesse, I was not needed with the field work anymore. Which meant that I got to sleep later every morning. That was a miracle in itself.

So I saw Jesse every morning after I woke up and bathed and got dressed. He usually bathe at my house, since my parents figured it would be easier instead of going all the way back to Father Dominic's to bathe.

We usually walked to the market to buy some food for my mother for dinner. Jesse ate with us practically every night. He was there mostly the whole day, except for when it was time that I went to sleep.

It was about two months after Jesse and I came back home that we got married. The ceremony was held in the chapel with Father Dominic as the one who married us.

There was a small party get-together afterwards at my mom and Andy's house. Everyone who was anyone in the town was invited by my mother. CeeCee and Adam were there also, and I found out that they were to be wed in a month's time. Also, Gina had finally realized that Jake was the one for her. And Kelly had decided to try Brad out, since Paul had left.

Everything in my life was coming together nicely. Jesse and I were married. We moved into this little house that was near CeeCee's mother's house. And about a year later I gave birth to a baby boy, who we named Peter, in honor of my father. I went on to have four more children: Alice, Dominic, Zachary, Sarah, and Hannah, all of whom were the most beautiful children Jesse and I had ever seen.

After so many hardships in such a short period of time, my life had finally come together, and for the better. I was happy, as were my husband and children. To me, that was all that mattered.

**SOOOO sorry this took so long. I was having troubly trying to figure out how to end this. Originally I was going to try and do the wedding, but too many stories have that. We all know how it goes anyway, right? So yeah. **

**This is the last chapter for Bewitched. :-(**

**Well, hopefully I still have all my readers. And thanks to all of you who stayed with me til the very end. You guys are great. **

**Adios.**


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